Predicting land use and land cover change in the semi-arid Mutis Timau area using random forest regression

The Mutis Timau is essential in community life and ecological conservation. However, the ecosystem has experienced disturbances and changes in its status, which have influenced land use and land cover. This research aims to predict land cover change in 2030 in the Mutis Timau. This research uses Landsat 7 ETM+ from 2011 and Landsat 8 OLI/TRIS from 2016 and 2021. The variable used Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation data. Data processing was carried out using Google Earth Engine, and a random forest algorithm was applied to predict land cover in 2030. The results showed that predicted changes in land cover area in the Mutis Timau Area were merely minor. Eucalyptus land cover experienced the greatest change in 2030, losing 5.05% of its total area. These findings could be beneficial to climate change mitigation initiatives in Indonesia to meet the Forestry and Other Land Uses Net Sink target by 2030.