Assessment of land cover change over a period of five years in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra

Abstract

Deli Serdang Regency is one of the districts in North Sumatra Province. Medan City is surrounded by Deli Serdang Regency. This study aimed to evaluate land cover changes that occurred during a period of five years (2014-2019) in Deli Serdang Regency by using a Geographical Information System (GIS). Changes in land cover are analyzed spatially using change detection available in the GIS application. Ground check is conducted to match the land cover type from the land cover map with actual conditions in the field. The land cover points taken in the field are taken using a Global Positioning System (GPS). The results showed that in a period of 5 years (2014-2019) there was a change in land use in Deli Serdang. The area of land use has increased, including: mangrove forest (5,176.57 ha to 5,645.23 ha), mining (211.93 ha to 387.47 ha), industry (2,944.64 ha to 3,316.39 ha), open land (726.12 ha to 1,063.57 ha), plantations (82,138.73 ha to 88,411.56 ha), settlements (20,537.91 ha to 21,347.85 ha), livestock (807.14 ha to 895.67 ha) and shrubs (3,761.61 ha to 3,013.33 ha). Areas of reduced land use include: dry land forest, mixed gardens, cultivation, rice fields, shrubs and ponds.