Investigation of land use changes using the landscape ecology approach in Maragheh City, Iran

Urban development is an ongoing economic and social phenomenon that significantly impacts ecological systems. This study aims to investigate the land use changes and physical development patterns of Maragheh City and its effects on the urban landscape as a medium-sized city in the northwest of Iran. To reach this goal, land use maps for 1986, 1996, 2006, 2016, and 2020 were first processed from Landsat 5, 7, and 8 satellite images. ENVI 5.3 and ArcMap software were used to analyze land use alteration patterns, and FRAGSTATS software was used for land use metrics. The results indicate that constructed lands from 1986 to 2020 had the most changes and increased by 2157 ha, while green areas decreased by about 443 ha. This trend indicates the lack of land use integration and infill growth which created urban sprawl. Therefore, the growth pattern of Maragheh City in recent decades has followed scattered and unbalanced horizontal growth. There are significant ecological challenges in this area due to this trend, including the destruction of farms and fertile agricultural land and the replacement of it with scattered and incoherent urban and rural settlements.