ABSTRACT
The northern slope of the Uluguru mountain, that falls under the
sovereignty of Morogoro’s urban area, has steadily become populated and
connected with uncontrolled human activity, which has had a harmful effect on
the ecosystem. The rapid conversion of natural forests to farms and settlements
has a severe effect on biodiversity and the land’s productive capacity. In
order to assist the identification of compatible land uses for managing
degradation and restoration of degraded land, as well as ensuring the long-term
use of natural resources, this study applied the integration of Geographical
Information System and Analytical Hierarchical Process. The land resources of
the research area were identified using a Geographical Information System to
guide in the evaluation of various land uses’ suitability. Land resource values
were generated from different sources of data whereby elevation, slope,
temperature, rainfall, soil properties, soil moisture index, and land surface
temperature classifications were obtained. The land resource classification
values throughout the study area were used to create land mapping units. The
results of the criteria classification were integrated into questionnaires
together with proposed compatible land uses
obtained from the literature review. These well-structured
questionnaires were used to retrieve expert opinions on land use allocation
from environmental beneficiary institutions in the area. The influence of criteria on each suggested land use
was assessed accordingly based on the score provided by Saaty’s scale.
The weight of each criterion at each land mapping unit toward proposed
compatible land uses for mapping purposes was calculated using the Analytical
Hierarchical Process (AHP) technique. The weighted criteria produced by the AHP
technique were integrated into GIS using the weighted overlay method to produce
a map that reflects expert judgments on mountain slope planning for long-term
natural resource management. A literature review reveals
that conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and forest land use types are
compatible in the management of natural resources in the area, while
settlements have to be integrated to accommodate the existing situation. The
integration of GIS and AHP produced a plan that consists of conservation
agriculture that covers the majority of the study area (50%) and is generally
found in the foothills of the mountains up to land mapping unit 3. Agroforestry
is the second-largest land use, accounting for 19% of the study area and being
concentrated in the second and third land mapping units. Settlements, which
occupy 17% of the study area and are mostly located at the foothills of the
mountain, are the third most covered land use. Finally, forest land use is
distributed at the top of the research area, inside land mapping units 4 and 5,
and accounts for 13% of the total study area. According on the findings of this
study, a sustainable land use plan is recommended.
Economic activity that could assist in the management of natural resources would be advantageous to both parties. Planning of the mountainous slopes within urban areas that are not
designated as conservation zones should be done with great care, and
only economic activities that assist management of natural resources should be
permitted.