Rural communities in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) derive their livelihoods primarily from their natural resource base. Unprecedented changes in these environments over the past few decades are likely to intensify in the future and land users need to develop sustainable adaptation strategies. This study aims to identify land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes and their drivers in a sub-Saharan dryland, between 1986 and 2017, by integrating local knowledge and remote sensing. Local knowledge and environmental perception are used as the basis for defining LULC classes and for training and validation of change detection. This study detects significant LULC changes in 41% of the investigated area, and identifies bush encroachment into former pastures as the dominant LULC change with an increase of woodland by 39% and a decrease of grassland by 74%. This process is perceived as severe degradation by local respondents and is linked to changing management regimes and unreliable rainfall patterns. Deforestation and woodland thinning account for 44% of the detected changes, and can be traced back to increased habitation and farming, although the local community also identifies charcoal production as a driving factor. The integration of remote sensing and local knowledge provides a holistic view on LULC change in Pokot Central, Kenya and offers a solid base for site-specific and actor-centred management approaches necessary for sustainable pathways of drylands. Our results emphasize the need to include local actors in the development of adaptation strategies and management guidelines for drylands.

中文翻译：

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将土地利用和土地覆盖变化与当地知识联系起来：来自肯尼亚 Pokot Central 的案例研究

撒哈拉以南非洲 (SSA) 旱地的农村社区的生计主要来自其自然资源基础。过去几十年这些环境发生的前所未有的变化在未来可能会加剧，土地使用者需要制定可持续的适应战略。本研究旨在通过整合当地知识和遥感，确定 1986 年至 2017 年撒哈拉以南旱地的土地利用和土地覆盖 (LULC) 变化及其驱动因素。本地知识和环境感知被用作定义 LULC 类以及培训和验证变化检测的基础。这项研究在 41% 的调查区域中检测到显着的 LULC 变化，并将灌木对前牧场的侵占确定为主要的 LULC 变化，林地增加了 39%，草地减少了 74%。这一过程被当地受访者视为严重退化，并与不断变化的管理制度和不可靠的降雨模式有关。森林砍伐和林地间伐占检测到的变化的 44%，可以追溯到居住和农业的增加，尽管当地社区也将木炭生产视为驱动因素。遥感和当地知识的整合提供了关于肯尼亚波科特中部 LULC 变化的整体观点，并为旱地可持续发展路径所需的特定地点和以行动者为中心的管理方法提供了坚实的基础。