An Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Wenje, Tana River County, Kenya

Land degradation is associated with increased climate change, food insecurity, and reduced availability of livestock feed, all of which negatively affect community livelihoods. This study aimed to assess land use and land cover (LULC) changes and identify severely degraded areas in Wenje, Tana River County. Multi-temporal Landsat images from 2003, 2010, and 2017 were analyzed to detect changes in land cover. The images (Path 166, Row 61) were obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) EarthExplorer and subset to extract the Area of Interest (AOI). Supervised classification using the Maximum Likelihood algorithm was performed in ArcGIS 10.7 to classify the land into six categories: water bodies, mango plantations, built-up areas, grassland, forest, and bare land. The results revealed significant land cover changes during the study period. Between 2003 and 2017, bare ground increased markedly from 8.21% to 43.95%, while forest and grassland cover declined from 21.81% to 2.69% and from 39.43% to 11.32%, respectively. Built-up areas and mango plantations expanded from 18.18% to 25.09% and from 10.05% to 15.88%, indicating increasing urbanization and agricultural development. Water bodies decreased slightly from 2.33% to 1.06%, reflecting a reduction in surface water coverage over the study. The findings demonstrate considerable land use and land cover changes in Wenje, with a marked increase in degraded land. Mapping degraded areas using satellite imagery provides valuable information for timely and targeted rangeland rehabilitation through the restoration of local grass species, afforestation, and reforestation. Such interventions can improve livestock production, enhance ecosystem resilience, and contribute to climate change mitigation. Furthermore, promoting sustainable land use practices and preventing overgrazing are essential for restoring degraded rangelands and supporting long-term livestock productivity and community livelihoods.