Land use practices generally develop over a long period of time under different
environmental, political, demographic, and socio-economic conditions. These
conditions often vary and have a direct impact on land use/land cover. The
interaction of nature and society and their implications on land use and land cover is
a very complex phenomenon that encompasses a wide range of social and natural
processes. Growing human populations exert increasing pressure on the landscape
as demands multiply for resources such as food, water, shelter, and fuel. These
socioeconomic factors often dictate how land is used regionally as well as locally. To
better understand the impact of land use change on terrestrial ecosystems, the
factors affecting land use change must be fully examined. Land use and land cover
changes have become a central component in current strategies for managing
natural resources and monitoring environmental changes. Since the late 1960s,rapid development of the concept of vegetation mapping has lead to increased
monitoring of land use and land cover changes worldwide. Providing an accurate
assessment of the extent and health of the forest, grassland, aquaculture farms and
agricultural resources have become an important priority