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Dynamics of land use and land cover changes and their effect on carbon stocks of Rwenzori Mountains National Park

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Research Paper 06/08/2024
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Dynamics of land use and land cover changes and their effect on carbon stocks of Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Sarah Namayengo, Emmanuel Zziwa, Susan Balaba Tumwebaze, Yazidhi Bamutaze
J. Bio. Env. Sci.25( 2), 111-125, August 2024.
Certificate: JBES 2024 [Generate Certificate]
Key: Carbon stocksLand use land cover changesRwenzori mountains national park

Abstract

This study characterized the extent of land use land cover changes in Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) and determined the effect of observed land use land cover changes on the park’s carbon stocks. Landsat 5 images were obtained of 1990; Landsat 7 of 2000 and 2010 and Landsat 8 of 2020 for Rwenzori Mountains National Park and analyzed using GIS tools in ArcGIS 10.5 using supervised classification. The Landsat scenes were obtained from path and row (171, 060) and (172, 060). The effect of land use land cover changes on the park’s carbon stocks was determined by estimating the amount of greenhouse gases released or sequestered following land use land cover changes using the EX-ACT tool. Results show that there were expansions and reductions in the acreages of land covers between 1990 and 2020 in Rwenzori Mountains National Park i.e. there was a 3.6% reduction in the tropical high forest well-stocked; a 59.4% increase in cultivated land; a 16.8% reduction in the tropical high forest low stocked; and a 27% increase in the grassland cover. The cultivation is mainly along the boundaries of the park. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a net carbon sink. Land cover change has an effect on carbon stock, with a decrease in the net sequestration over the past three decades in Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Owing to the observed land cover/use changes, Uganda Wildlife Authority should tighten park boundary management by applying hybrid approaches including buffer zoning, electric fencing, and thorn and stone hedges.

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