Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21861/HGG.2021.83.02.01
Land use and land cover changes in the Lower Neretva Region from 1990 to 2020
Josip Šetka
orcid.org/0000-0001-5809-1521
; AGRIVI d.o.o., Ulica Grada Gospića 1a, Zagreb, Croatia
Petra Radeljak Kaufmann
orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-4035
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Zagreb, Croatia
Luka Valožić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5696-0367
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Changes in land use and land cover are the result of complex interactions between humans and their environment. This study examines land use and land cover changes in the Lower Neretva Region between 1990 and 2020. Political and economic changes in the early 1990s resulted in changes in the landscape, both directly and indirectly. Multispectral image processing was used to create thematic maps of land use and land cover for 1990, 2005, and 2020. Satellite images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 were the main source of data. Land use and land cover structure was assessed using a hybrid approach, combining unsupervised and manual (visual) classification methods. An assessment of classification accuracy was carried out using a confusion matrix and kappa coefficient. According to the results of the study, the percentage of built-up areas increased by almost 33%. Agricultural land and forests and grasslands also increased, while the proportion of swamps and sparse vegetation areas decreased.
Keywords
land cover, land use, remote sensing, Lower Neretva Region
Hrčak ID:
268154
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2021.
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