Land use change detection, biodiversity and farm productivity

The aim of this thesis is to identify and analyze factors affecting land use/ land cover (LULC) changes and biodiversity, and relate these to agricultural productivity in northern Ethiopia. A multi-scale approach is used in this thesis. LULC dynamics are analyzed at a regional scale and explained in relation to their drivers for a period from 1964 to 2005 using remotely sensed data and spatially explicit multiple logistic regression models. At farm and regional scales, biodiversity and sustainability are described using an integrated field survey and GIS analysis of data collected in 2000. Moreover, spatial changes in biodiversity and land degradation are described for 2000 and 2005, and associated with agricultural productivity at farm and regional scales. Finally, agricultural productivity is compared for different Acacia albida based land use systems both at field and regional scales. The information derived from this thesis is highly relevant for land use policies, and can stimulate new directions for improving resource use in northern Ethiopia.

Title thesis: ‘Temporal and spatial changes in land use pattern and biodiversity in relation to farm productivity at multiple scales in Tigray, Ethiopia”