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<p>Resettlement programs, refugee settlements, and large-scale agricultural farming are major drivers of the increasing frequency and intensity of environmental degradation. This study aimed to assess the impacts of large-scale agriculture, refugee settlements, and resettlement on land use/land cover (LULC) change and ecosystem service values and functions in Abobo Wereda. The study adopted a sequential explanatory research design. First, maximum likelihood supervised classification techniques were applied to Landsat images acquired in 1987, 2006, and 2025 to generate LULC maps, which were validated through field observations. ERDAS Imagine 2015, ArcGIS 10.7, and SPSS version 20 were used for image processing, spatial analysis, and statistical analysis, respectively. Subsequently, household survey data were collected from 292 proportionally distributed households across four menders. An integrated valuation approach, tailored to Ethiopian conditions, was applied to estimate ecosystem service values (ESVs) and functions in relation to land use and land cover (LULC) changes between 1987 and 2025 in the study area. To evaluate the reliability of this estimation process, the Coefficient of Sensitivity (CS) was employed, using LULC classes as proxies for their corresponding biomes. The results identified seven LULC categories: forestland, wetland, woodland, farmland, bare land, water bodies, and grassland. Between 1987 and 2006, forestland, grassland, and woodland declined at annual rates of 0.51&#xa0;ha, 1.47&#xa0;ha, and 2.84&#xa0;ha, respectively, while farmland and bare land expanded at rates of 37.3&#xa0;ha and 9.50&#xa0;ha per year. From 2006 to 2025, the expansion of bare land and farmland continued, with mean annual increases of 859.43&#xa0;ha and 9.88&#xa0;ha, respectively. In contrast, forestland and grassland decreased at rates of 1.27&#xa0;ha and 10&#xa0;ha per year, respectively. Overall, the LULC trend over the entire study period indicates substantial land cover degradation, largely driven by large-scale agricultural expansion, refugee settlements, and resettlement activities. Changes in LULC were accompanied by shifts in ESVs. Between 1987 and 2006, the ESVs of natural forests, woodland, and grassland declined, whereas those of wetlands, water bodies, and farmland increased. Conversely, from 2006 to 2025, the ESVs of natural forests, wetlands, water bodies, and grasslands decreased, while farmland and woodland ESVs increased, mainly due to farmland expansion and settlement pressures. At the level of individual ecosystem functions, most services showed declining trends, except for water supply (1987–2006) and food production (2006–2025).The findings suggest that sustainable land management in Abobo Wereda requires an integrated approach that balances large-scale agricultural investments, refugee settlement, and resettlement programs with ecosystem conservation. Strengthened institutional coordination and continuous land-use monitoring using geospatial technologies are essential to promote environmentally sustainable and socially equitable development in the Gambella Regional State.</p>

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The impacts of large-scale farming, refugees and resettlement on land use land cover changes and ecosystems services values in Abobo Woreda, Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月21日

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  • Zemenu Awoke Andualem,
  • Temesgen Gashaw Tarkegn,
  • Atinkut Kelemu Ayalew

摘要

Resettlement programs, refugee settlements, and large-scale agricultural farming are major drivers of the increasing frequency and intensity of environmental degradation. This study aimed to assess the impacts of large-scale agriculture, refugee settlements, and resettlement on land use/land cover (LULC) change and ecosystem service values and functions in Abobo Wereda. The study adopted a sequential explanatory research design. First, maximum likelihood supervised classification techniques were applied to Landsat images acquired in 1987, 2006, and 2025 to generate LULC maps, which were validated through field observations. ERDAS Imagine 2015, ArcGIS 10.7, and SPSS version 20 were used for image processing, spatial analysis, and statistical analysis, respectively. Subsequently, household survey data were collected from 292 proportionally distributed households across four menders. An integrated valuation approach, tailored to Ethiopian conditions, was applied to estimate ecosystem service values (ESVs) and functions in relation to land use and land cover (LULC) changes between 1987 and 2025 in the study area. To evaluate the reliability of this estimation process, the Coefficient of Sensitivity (CS) was employed, using LULC classes as proxies for their corresponding biomes. The results identified seven LULC categories: forestland, wetland, woodland, farmland, bare land, water bodies, and grassland. Between 1987 and 2006, forestland, grassland, and woodland declined at annual rates of 0.51 ha, 1.47 ha, and 2.84 ha, respectively, while farmland and bare land expanded at rates of 37.3 ha and 9.50 ha per year. From 2006 to 2025, the expansion of bare land and farmland continued, with mean annual increases of 859.43 ha and 9.88 ha, respectively. In contrast, forestland and grassland decreased at rates of 1.27 ha and 10 ha per year, respectively. Overall, the LULC trend over the entire study period indicates substantial land cover degradation, largely driven by large-scale agricultural expansion, refugee settlements, and resettlement activities. Changes in LULC were accompanied by shifts in ESVs. Between 1987 and 2006, the ESVs of natural forests, woodland, and grassland declined, whereas those of wetlands, water bodies, and farmland increased. Conversely, from 2006 to 2025, the ESVs of natural forests, wetlands, water bodies, and grasslands decreased, while farmland and woodland ESVs increased, mainly due to farmland expansion and settlement pressures. At the level of individual ecosystem functions, most services showed declining trends, except for water supply (1987–2006) and food production (2006–2025).The findings suggest that sustainable land management in Abobo Wereda requires an integrated approach that balances large-scale agricultural investments, refugee settlement, and resettlement programs with ecosystem conservation. Strengthened institutional coordination and continuous land-use monitoring using geospatial technologies are essential to promote environmentally sustainable and socially equitable development in the Gambella Regional State.