Causes Of Land Use Change

1525 Words7 Pages
2.2 Causes of land use changes Land use change is usually a result of many combined factors arising from different phases of organisation. The combined causes of land use change differ with time, space and environment(Lambin et al., 2003). There are direct causes of land use change which includes population growth, economic growth and initiation of policy, laws ad legislations (Morara et al., 2014). 2.2.1Population growth Population growth has been the fundamental driver of land use change all over the world, especially in developing countries that prioritize economic development. Population growth was found as main cause of deforestation which is a land use change practiced worldwide. Meyer and Turner (1992) asserted that population growth…show more content…
Policies are initiated to promote desired future results whereas they also contribute to land use changes positively and negatively. However, their implications can be noticed over a long time, for instance, a decade. According to Mugisha et al. (2004) in Uganda the initiation of colonial agricultural policy encouraged the introduction of cash crops like coffee and cotton for export market. As a result, this led to clearance of large areas of forests for agricultural purposes. According to Morara et al. (2014) Kenya has experienced land use changes from pastoral land to individual ranches and private holding as a result of land privatization policy.Abonyo et al. (2007) noted that major driver of land use change in Bugala Island (Uganda) is the government policy to establish plantation. This changed an area of about 5,207 hectares from forests and grasslands to palm…show more content…
(2006) suggested that changes in land use could results in environmental impacts that are greater than anticipated. There are many environmental impacts that results from land use change that when sustainable strategies to manage them are not employed may result in permanent land degradation. Lambin et al. (2003) indicated that land use change have implications in the functioning of the biological systems and influence in the rate of climate change from great to more terrible. According to Smith et al. (2016), land use change has impacts on the climate of the area, for instance, forested area to settlements can lead to rising temperatures by the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and

More about Causes Of Land Use Change

Open Document