Land use and land cover change analysis 1990-2002 in Binh Thuan Province, south central Vietnam

Describing the nature and extent of land resources and changes over time has become increasingly important, especially in developing countries. In this study, two Landsat satellite image scenes were examined to identify land use and land cover changes in Binh Thuan province (Vietnam) between 1990 and 2002. Classification accuracies were based upon ground truth data obtained by global positioning system and field collection. A post-classification comparison analysis was used to identify areas that have experienced conversions in land use and land cover. Comparisons of the land cover maps reveal that a steady growth in population has caused extensive changes of land cover throughout the area. The maps also indicate that the loss of woody land (forest) and the extension of wetlands (irrigate area), combined with built-up encroachment, remains one of the most serious environmental problems facing the Binh Thuan Province today. The post-classification change detection analysis showed that critical habitats accounted for nearly 38.5% of the total intensive study area between 1990 and 2002 while 61.5% remained stable. Results also showed over the 12-year span, approximately 1151.2 km² (115.120 ha) forest were converted respectively to brush, irrigated area (wetlands), cropland and built-up. This is an overall average decrease of approximately 9594 hectares of forested area per year. Throughout the study area, districts most affected by forest conversion to another land cover are: Bac Bihn (2798 ha/year), Than Linh (2717 ha/year), Ham Thuan Nam (1601 ha/year) and Ham Thuan Bac (1524 ha/year). Based on the identified causes of these changes, we made policy recommendations for better management of land use and land cover.