| Summary: | The Omo National Park is under immense pressure as a result of the expansion of the Kuraz Sugar Factory and rapid population growth that resulted in illegal settlement and interferences. The present study assesses the trend and magnitude of LULCC and its major drivers in Omo National Park. To assess land cover changes, satellite imageries had been used within four dates of 1988, 1998, 2008 and 2018. Household surveys, key informant interviews, and FGDs were used to assess peoples understanding of the change and identify the potential drivers of LULCC. Semiautomatic Classification tool (QGIS) was used to extract information related to the trend and magnitude of LULCC. The classification has been done using six LC (grassland, woodland, forest, riverine-forest, built-up, and industrial-farm) classes. Image classification and accuracy assessment were properly performed. The results showed that overall accuracy was 84.95%, 85.93%, 82.70%, and 85.71% and the kappa coefficient value was 75%, 80%, 75% and 80% for the years 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018, respectively. This study showed that in the last 30-year period, the national parks had been exposed to modification of land use. Within this time frame, grassland, forest, and riverine forest had significantly decreased by 41.36%, 3.95% and 0.19%, respectively, while woodland increased by 18.33%. Expansion of settlements and Kuraz-Sugar-Factory, population growth, and overgrazing coupled with the absence of well-defined boundary, and clear LU policies were identified as the main drivers of LCC in Park. Therefore, proper land and park management strategies and strong legal and regulatory frameworks should be developed.
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