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 4 Area cover of the land use/cover classes of the watershed at different periods of time.

Land use/cover type	1973		1986		2001		2017
Land use/cover type	Area (ha)	% of total	Area (ha)	% of total	Area (ha)	% of total	Area (ha)	% of total
Afro/sub afro alpine vegetation	4738	19.77	4659	19.44	4563	19.04	3513	14.66
Bare lands	397	1.66	425	1.77	520	2.17	613	2.56
Farmlands/settlements	12,029	50.18	10,240	42.72	11,601	48.40	12,815	53.46
Grasslands	3917	16.34	4470	18.65	3090	12.89	3040	12.68
Shrub/bush lands	2592	10.81	2924	12.20	3548	14.80	3010	12.56
Water courses/beds	123	0.51	95	0.40	101	0.42	91	0.38
Woodlands/plantations	174	0.73	1157	4.83	547	2.28	888	3.70
Total	23,970	100.00	23,970	100.00	23,970	100.00	23,970	100.00