Spatio-temporal Analysis of Changes in Land Use-Land Cover for Conservation Efficacy of Urban Forest Reserve: The Case of Rau Forest Reserve, Tanzania

Changes in land use and land cover in different places around the globe have a significant impact on ecological structure and functions as well. Analysis of the changes in land use and land cover is useful in management activities, especially forest reserves as it reflects the interaction between adjacent communities and natural resources. Due to the rapid sprawl in urbanisation, there has been a rapid change in the human-land relationship. Rau Forest is situated in Moshi Municipality of Kilimanjaro Region in Tanzania. There have been several claims of a decrease in vegetation cover in this important forest reserve, although there is no documentation on such claims. It is on the basis of this background this study was conducted to explore the changes in land use and land cover in the Rau Forest reserve to show the management status of this ecosystem which is also located in an urban area where management activities have been a challenge. The land use and cover (LULC) Spatio-temporal changes in the Rau Forest were classified as Densely Vegetation, Slightly Vegetation, Grassland, Bare land, Built-up, and Waterbodies to evaluate qualitative and quantitative changes in this reserve through the use of GIS techniques and tools over time (1990, 2000 and 2019). Forest encroachment has driven changes in land use and land cover and transformed parts of the Rau Forest reserve into the urban settlement, and grazing lands which has ultimately led to gradual forest degradation. Landsat imageries for the year were used to identify the Spatio-temporal changes in vegetation in the area. This study shows the downward trend for the densely vegetated part of the reserve at the expense of expansion in the built-up area. The results demonstrate the urgent need for strong and more severe regulations concerning the protection of Rau Forest and other urban situated forest reserves against land use and land cover changes for the benefit of the present and future generations.