The Impact Of Land Use Change And Land Change

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THE IMPACT OF LAND REFORM PROGRAMME ON LANDCOVER AND LANDUSE CHANGE IN CHIPINGE DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE
BACKGROUND
Land use change and land cover over time is an inevitable phenomenon occurring globally due to both temporary and or permanent interest of the inhabitants in a particular area (Eludoyin et al, 2010). Most parts of the world are not in their natural state due to a number of reasons and mainly human activities. Due to anthropogenic activities, the earth’s surface is being significantly altered and the presence on the Earth of man and his use of land has had a profound effect upon the natural environment (Wilkie and Finn, 1996). Land use and land cover change (LULCC), has become a central component in current strategies for managing natural resources and monitoring environmental changes. …show more content…

Lambin and Heist (2006) define land cover as the observed biophysical cover on the earth's surface, including grassland, agricultural land, forest land, recreation area or a built up area. Land use is characterized by the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover type to produce, change or maintain it (Briaussolis, 2000). She also states that, land-cover change refers to any change in the land that reduces its productive potentiality whereas land-use change is a process by which human activities transform the landscape. Land cover changes may result either from land conversion (a change from one cover type to another), or land modification which are alterations of structure or function without a wholesale change from one type to another, or even maintenance of land in its current condition against agents of change. Land use and land cover change are strongly

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