Abstract:
Research on Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) dynamics, and an understanding of the
drivers responsible for these changes, are very crucial for modelling future LULC changes and the
formulation of sustainable and robust land‐management strategies and policy decisions. This study
adopted a mixed method consisting of remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS)‐
based analysis, focus‐group discussions, key informant interviews, and semi‐structured interviews
covering 586 households to assess LULC dynamics and associated LULC change drivers across the
Dedza district, a central region of Malawi. GIS‐based analysis of remotely sensed data revealed that
barren land and built‐up areas extensively increased at the expense of agricultural and forest land
between 1991 and 2015. Analysis of the household‐survey results revealed that the perceptions of
respondents tended to validate the observed patterns during the remotely sensed data‐analysis
phase of the research, with 57.3% (n = 586) of the respondents reporting a decline in agricultural
land use, and 87.4% (n = 586) observing a decline in forest areas in the district. Furthermore,
firewood collection, charcoal production, population growth, and poverty were identified as the
key drivers of these observed LULC changes in the study area. Undoubtedly, education has
emerged as a significant factor influencing respondents’ perceptions of these drivers of LULC
changes. However, unsustainable LULC changes observed in this study have negative implications
on rural livelihoods and natural‐resource management. Owing to the critical role that LULC
dynamics play to rural livelihoods and the ecosystem, this study recommends further research to
establish the consequences of these changes. The present study and future research will support
decision makers and planners in the design of tenable and coherent land‐management strategies.
