Exploring land cover changes in Satui Watershed of South Kalimantan through geographic information system (GIS)

Abstract

Limited land resources affect the land conversion that causes the change in land cover conditions, caused by the need for land, which is inversely proportional to the availability of land. Land cover in the Satui basin in South Kalimantan province of Indonesia changed rapidly. Community activities on the land have caused changes in the land cover that have negative impacts on the sustainability of forest resources. Remote sensing and GIS are used to monitor and evaluate land cover changes that occur in the Satui basin. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the suitability of land cover change to address the negative impacts caused by land cover change, so that the carrying capacity of the land can be maintained as well as ascertaining the extent of the land change since 2000 to 2014. The result of the land cover suitability analysis in Satui watershed from spatial data of land cover according to the GIS interpretation indicates 92% of the land as compliant with the land cover suitability standard and 8% as non-compliant. Changes in land cover that occurred during the years 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2014 in the Satui basin in general include changes in land function; over each period the land was affected by a decline in forest cover as they were being turned into commercial plantations, and more land was opened for various human activity.