Land use/cover spatiotemporal dynamics, driving forces and implications at the Beshillo catchment of the Blue Nile Basin, North Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia

Environmental Systems Research

Table 10 LULC types based on slope categories in Gedalas watershed (1973–2017)

Years	Land use/cover type	Slope categories
Years	Land use/cover type	Flat	Sloping	Strongly sloping	Moderately steep	Steep	Very steep	Grand total
1973	Afro/sub afro alpine vegetation	73	271	400	1869	1889	236	4738
	Bare lands	17	47	55	142	92	44	397
	Farmlands/settlements	546	1495	1771	4818	3008	391	12,029
	Grasslands	380	829	770	1293	506	139	3917
	Shrub/bush lands	39	113	122	640	1100	578	2592
	Water courses/beds	34	25	26	23	13	2	123
	Woodlands/plantations	9	10	17	47	55	36	174
	Total	1098	2790	3161	8832	6663	1426	23,970
1986	Afro/sub afro alpine vegetation	64	193	308	1787	2059	248	4659
	Bare lands	11	32	43	122	83	134	425
	Farmlands/settlements	513	1423	1630	4329	2181	164	10,240
	Grasslands	448	999	898	1365	567	193	4470
	Shrub/bush lands	34	73	146	713	1374	584	2924
	Water courses/beds	11	24	21	33	5	1	95
	Woodlands/plantations	17	46	115	483	394	102	1157
	Total	1098	2790	3161	8832	6663	1426	23,970
2001	Afro/sub afro alpine vegetation	58	190	316	1839	1956	204	4563
	Bare lands	13	35	52	110	143	167	520
	Farmlands/settlements	620	1604	1941	4760	2467	209	11,601
	Grasslands	344	719	631	905	378	113	3090
	Shrub/bush lands	47	182	161	1026	1482	650	3548
	Water courses/beds	11	25	23	34	7	1	101
	Woodlands/plantations	5	35	37	158	230	82	547
	Total	1098	2790	3161	8832	6663	1426	23,970
2017	Afro/sub afro alpine vegetation	69	210	301	1772	1064	97	3513
	Bare lands	35	46	68	136	147	181	613
	Farmlands/settlements	609	1649	1931	5165	3238	223	12,815
	Grasslands	301	724	642	921	353	99	3040
	Shrub/bush lands	52	80	101	562	1482	733	3010
	Water courses/beds	10	24	22	30	3	1	91
	Woodlands/plantations	22	57	96	246	376	91	888
	Total	1098	2790	3161	8832	6663	1425	23,970

0–5 = flat; 5–10 = sloping; 10–15 = strongly slopping; 15–30 = moderately sloping; 30–60 = steep and >60 = very steep (FAO 2006)