Land use and land cover changes and their driving forces in selected forest reserves in Central Tanzania

Miombo woodlands benefit humans in a variety of ways, including by providing food and ecosystem services. However, Tanzania's Miombo woodlands are declining due to ever-increasing unsustainable human activities. This study used landsat images for the years 1996, 2006, and 2021 to quantify the extent of land use and cover change in the Mgori and Minyughe forest reserves of the Singida region in Central Tanzania. We conducted interviews with 154 villagers living near the forest reserves to determine the drivers of land use and cover change. The findings showed that increased cultivation, illegal settlements, forest harvesting for timber, charcoal production, and livestock grazing are the primary drivers of land use and cover changes. Over the study period, cultivated land in the Mgori forest reserve increased by 33.56%, settlements by 32.67%, and bushland by 0.52%, while woodlands and grassland decreased by −0.60% and −0.22%, respectively. In the Minyughe forest reserve, cultivated land has grown by 23.81%, scattered cultivation by 16.79%, settlements by 6.58%, and water by 1.02%. During the same time period, significant loss occurred in woodland with a dynamic index of (−3.50%), bushland (−0.75%), grassland (−0.40%), and seasonally inundated grassland (−1.86%). User accuracy was highly reliable in cultivated land, bushland, woodland, and grassland cover. The overall Kappa coefficient values provided substantial accuracy for a specific land cover category. In order to combat deforestation and forest cover loss, the study recommends that the Tanzanian government strengthen conservation in both forest reserves.