Land Use Change Impacts over the Indus Delta: A Case Study of Sindh Province, Pakistan

• Published in: Land (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 7; p. 1080
• Main Authors: Masood, Maira, He, Chunguang, Shah, Shoukat Ali, Rehman, Syed Aziz Ur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2024
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural expansion; Agricultural land; Agriculture; Algorithms; Barren lands; Biodiversity; Climate change; coastal areas; Coastal management; Coastal zone; Coastal zone management; Community planning; Economic development; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Environmental degradation; Environmental economics; Environmental protection; Geography; Indus Delta; Land conservation; Land cover; Land use; land use land cover change; Land use management; Land use planning; Logging; Machine learning; machine learning algorithms; Mangrove swamps; Mangroves; Rangelands; Remote sensing; Resource exploitation; Socioeconomic factors; Support vector machines; Sustainable development; Sustainable use; Urbanization; Water resources; Sindh Pakistan; Arabian Sea; Pakistan; Karachi Pakistan
• ISSN: 2073-445X; 2073-445X
• DOI: 10.3390/land13071080

Land use and land cover changes (LULCCs) are vital indicators for assessing the dynamic relationship between humans and nature, particularly in diverse and evolving landscapes. This study employs remote sensing (RS) data and machine learning algorithms (MLAs) to investigate LULCC dynamics within the Indus River Delta region of Sindh, Pakistan. The focus is on tracking the trajectories of land use changes within mangrove forests and associated ecosystem services over twenty years. Our findings reveal a modest improvement in mangrove forest cover in specific areas, with an increase from 0.28% to 0.4%, alongside a slight expansion of wetland areas from 2.95% to 3.19%. However, significant increases in cropland, increasing from 22.76% to 28.14%, and built-up areas, increasing from 0.71% to 1.66%, pose risks such as altered sedimentation and runoff patterns as well as habitat degradation. Additionally, decreases in barren land from 57.10% to 52.7% and a reduction in rangeland from 16.16% to 13.92% indicate intensified land use conversion and logging activities. This study highlights the vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems in the Indus Delta to agricultural expansion, urbanization, resource exploitation, and land mismanagement. Recommendations include harmonizing developmental ambitions with ecological conservation, prioritizing integrated coastal area management, reinforcing mangrove protection measures, and implementing sustainable land use planning practices. These actions are essential for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the region’s ecosystems and human communities.