Exploring the Effect of Recent Droughts on Reducing the Level and Changing the Use of Lands Surrounding Maharlou Lake by Means of Satellite Images

Drought and population growth are the main reasons behind the degredation of natural resources (renglands, forests, & wetlands) and the deflation of water resources. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of recent droughts on reducing the level and changing the use of the lands surrounding Maharlou Lake (in Fars Province) by means of satellite images. For change detection, three Landsat images (belonging to 1987, 2000, & 2009) were used and geometric and atmospheric corrections were applied. Landuse maps were developed for each of the three years using fazzy classification. On the basis of the results, the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient for all of the maps were more than 83% and 0.78%, respectively. For monitoring the changes, post-classification comparison method was used. The results indicated that rangeland areas, the water level of the lake, and the level of the farmlands had decreased. The area of residential and industrial lands along with the barelands, however, had increased. Monitoring the changes in the three aformentioned periods (during 9, 13, & 22 years) demonestrated that natural resources degradation has been more intense during the recent period (2000-2009). Therfore, to prevent a complete land degradation in the study area, management strategies should be employed.