Modelling and accessing land degradation vulnerability using remote sensing techniques and the analytical hierarchy process approach

Land degradation and desertification have recently become a critical problem in Ethiopia. Accordingly, identification of land degradation vulnerable zonation and mapping was conducted in Wabe Shebele River Basin, Ethiopia. Precipitation derived from Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GMP), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST), topography (slope), and pedological properties (i.e., soil depth, soil pH, soil texture, and soil drainage) were used in the current study. NDVI has been considered as the most significant parameter followed by the slope, precipitation and temperature. Geospatial techniques and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach were used to model the land degradation vulnerable index. Validation of the results with google earth image shows the applicability of the model in the study. The result is classified into very highly vulnerable (17.06%), highly vulnerable (15.01%), moderately vulnerable (32.72%), slightly vulnerable (16.40%), and very slightly vulnerable (18.81%) to land degradation. Due to the small rate of precipitation which is vulnerable to evaporation by high temperature in the region, the downstream section of the basis is categorized as highly vulnerable to Land Degradation (LD) and vice versa in the upstream section of the basin. Moreover, the validation using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis shows an area under the ROC curve value of 80.92% which approves the prediction accuracy of the AHP method in assessing and modelling LD vulnerability zone in the study area. The study provides a substantial understanding of the effect of land degradation on sustainable land use management and development in the basin.