Land Use/Cover Change, Fragmentation, and Driving Factors in Nepal in the Last 25 Years

Because of the influence climate change and human activities, an in-depth analysis land use/cover (LUCC) its drivers in Nepal is important for local community forestry management sustainable development. This paper analyzed direction, magnitude, rate LUCCs their spatial aggregation, as well landscape fragmentation Nepal, from 1995 to 2020 using ESA/CCI (European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative) dataset. A total 10 factors including population, socioeconomic development, factors, forest were selected determine dominant driving affecting LUCC by Principal component (PCA) linear regression analysis. Our study showed that change, (e.g., forestry) all influenced LUCC. In shifted among forest, shrub, grassland, cropland 2020, mainly cropland. The most significant recent decades has been caused expansion urbanization. area coniferous broadleaf forests decreased 2001 due deforestation degradation, recovered gradually after 2001, which was attributed successful practice Nepal. Accelerated urbanization also found construction came Land severe exhibited aggregation characteristics. Human activities played a greater role than factors. forestry, GDP growth, precipitation positive increases area, while development services sector rising temperature negative