Effect Of Land-Use Changes On Landscape Fragmentation: The Case Of Ramallah Area In Central Palestine

Abstract

The urban sprawl of cities periphery is one of such changes that has led to drastic land-use changes, which resulted in landscape fragmentation. The objective of this study is to understand the process of landscape fragmentation because of urban expansion; identifying the most influential drivers that have changed the land-use. To achieve the objectives due to changes in land use, a study had conducted in Ramallah area of Palestine. The study utilized Fragstat software to quantify the landscape changes with regard to its pattern and structure through a number of indices, also using Geographic Information System tool to draw up different landscape parcels spatially with its characteristics. The spatial analysis carried out on the land-use change used the 1997 and 2017 aerial photos to quantify the landscape fragmentation, which included a variety of land-uses. Over 52% of the study area underwent noticeable urbanization process, resulting in appreciable landscape changes to the area, especially after 1993. The statistical analysis of the landscape fragmentation revealed significant changes in land-use during the period from 1997 to 2017; the green landscape has been fragmented at a large scale by increasing the number of landscape patches (from 71 to 148 patches). As a result, there was an obvious reduction in agricultural lands, such as olive groves and grassland. At the same time, the urban surface areas increased from 654 patches in 1997 to 2019 patches in 2017. These results indicate that the landscape has become more fragmented due to geopolitical and socio-economic drivers since mid-1995 after Oslo accord.