Ogis-based mapping for monitoring land cover changes in Sitio Little Kibungan, La Trinidad, Benguet

Abstract

Uncontrolled inflation of urbanization and its consequences brought perineal complications in the urban habitat of La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines. The intensified augmentation of urban dynamics, soil disturbance caused by human activities increased land cover changes. This paper studied Sitio Little Kibungan, a residential settlement with a history of Landslide Disaster recorded in 20009. Before the catastrophe, greater part of the extent of study was immensely canopied with Benguet Pine trees and other plants native to the locale. This vegetation preserves the forest habitats and acts as support to retain flooding and soil erosion. In the heights of rural to urban migration, radical changes in the land covers of Sitio Little Kibungan took place. The area once populated by lush greenery was transformed into a concrete residential neighborhood. In order to ascertain that the calamity experienced in 2009 be avoided, there is a need to monitor how much are the changes in the land covers; forest covers, built up area, before 2009, during 2009, after 2009 and the current year 2024. Interviews and field documentation was observed for data collection. This study further utilized the QGIS application and High-Resolution Google Earth Images data to measure lang cover changes focusing on lang characteristics including vegetation type and soil properties and identify the solutions of the local government to the 2009 Landslide Pepeng, collected with fist-hand observation and qualitative interviews with methodology municipal officers such as the Municipal Planning Development office, Tax mapping Office, Municipal Engineering Office, Puguis barangay Office and resident of Sitio Kibungan to create Land cover maps considering the Residential and Forested Zones of Sitio Little Kibungan, La Trinidad, Benguet before the Landslide (2006), during the Landslide (2009), to present (2024), using QGIS application. According to the data gathered, the recorded build -up and paved land covers in 2006 was 17,350 square meters, this is 37.122 fraction of the overall areas of Sitio Little Kibungan. During the year 2009, when the typhoon Pepeng caused an unanticipated enormous landslide, the build-up and paved land covers was 15,384 square meters, it decreases by 1,966 square meters from year 2006. Presently, in 2024, the build-up and paved land covers was 31, 760 square meters, it increases by 14, 410 square meters from 2006. On the other hand, in the year 2006, the recorded forest land covers was 26,485 square meters , this is 56, 667 share of the total area of Sitio Little Kibungan. Within the year 2009, majority of the forest covers diminished in area with 12,883 square meters, it decreased by 13,366 square meters from year 2006. At present (2024), the forest land covers is 11,802 square meters, it decrease by 1,081 square meters from year 2009. From the year 2006 with 26,485 square meters forest land covers, it decreased by 14,683 square meters in the first quarter of the year 2024 (1st quarte ). For the open land covers, the recorded land cover in 2006 was 2,903 square meters; this was 6.21 proportion of the whole area of Sitio Little Kibungan. Throughout the year 2009, it expanded in area with 4,169 square meters; there is an increase of 1,266 square meters from year 2009. From the year 2006 with 2,903 square meters forest area, it shrank to 2,165 square meters in the first quarter of the year 2024(1st quarter).