Land suitability analysis is the evaluation and grouping of specific areas of land in termsrnof their suitability or capability for a defined use. To get the maximum benefit out of thernland, proper use of it for specific purposes is inevitable. Yabello district, which isrnsituated in arid and semiâ€arid lands, experiences low and erratic rainfall and highrntemperature that hinder any significant crop production. However, rapid populationrngrowth of the study area has resulted in increasing demand for arable land leading tornreduced amount of land for natural grazing and forage production. Thus, the abovernconflicting and challenging issues could lead to fast depletion of land resources.rnTherefore, locating appropriate areas for livestock production using spatial models ofrnGeographic Information systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing would be indispensablerninput to improve livestock productivity which enhances resilience of the environment.rnThis study intended to analyze and map suitable land areas for livestock production inrnYabello district using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. Besides, it aimed atrnidentifying land cover change in the study area for the last 23 years and to what extentrnand direction the change occur. The study made use of Landsat 1986 and 2003 RemoternSensing Satellite Image analysis to determine the extent and pattern of rangelandrnchange, and Multi Criteria Evaluation in a GIS environment to come up with the finalrnsuitability map. The study used weighted overlay technique of MCE in a GIS platform tornarrive at the final land suitability for livestock species. The current analysis showed that,rn31.6%, 31.5%, 18.2% and 26.9% of the total study area is most suitable for thernproduction of cattle, sheep, goats and camels, respectively. Furthermore, it should bernnoted that the larger portion of the study area (39.2% and 38.2%) fell under thernsuitability class called marginally suitable for cattle and sheep, respectively. This couldrnbe attributed to the encroachment of the rangelands by the woody plant species whichrnneeds due treatment (e.g. rangeland rehabilitation or bush clearing) so as to reverse thernscenario. In addition, the study revealed that more than half of the study area isrnpermanently inaccessible to the major eelaas. In the current study, it is evident thatrnthere is acute shortage of eelaas for watering livestock especially during the dry season.rnKeywords: Yabello district, Suitability analysis, GIS and Remote Sensing techniques,rnMultiâ€criteria Evaluation, eelaas