The study area, Hosaina-Werabe, is situated in the western margin of the mainrnEthiopian rift valley. It is structurally controlled and tectonically active. It is coveredrnby loose ash falls, weak pumice layers, and less welded tuff layers, which arernvulnerable to land degradation activities, and are intercalated with relatively strongerrnignimbrite layers. Whereas the lithologies and geological structures make the arearnvulnerable to land degradation, the steep slopes at fault escarpments and volcanicrndomes accelerate the erosive power of overland flows and /or rivers. The main landrndegradation process is erosion by water.rnThe land degradation activity in the area is assessed using integrated remote sensingrnand GIS techniques and field survey. The rate of land degradation, in areal bases, hasrnbeen estimated using Landsat satellite images of the years 1973, 1984, 2000 G. C. onrna small sample site of about 247 sq km. area, which was a subset from the study area.rnThe average rate of land degradation from the year 1984 to 1973 is 0.7 sq. km / yearrnand from the year 1984 to 2000, it is 1.0 sq. km / year. The result shows a generalrnincreasing trend of land degradation.rnThe areal extent of degraded land is also increasing over time. In the year 1973, it wasrn7.3 %, in the year 1984, it rose to 10.4 % and it was extended to 16.7 % in the yearrn2000 G. C Cross-tabulation of two year images at a time, indicated that few parts of the formerlyrndegraded areas were seen to be covered by vegetation. However, newly formedrndegraded lands have shown prominent areal expansion through time.rnLand degradation vulnerability factor maps were produced from topographic maps,rnexisting maps, Landsat satellite data and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission)rndata. GIS analyses of distance and area measurements, slope, and reclassificationrnwere done for each factor based on their relation with land degradation activity. Thesernlayers were standardized and weights were given in a hierarchical order. Finallyrnmulti-criteria analysis was done that indicated areas susceptible to land degradation. Itrnwas reclassified in order to produce three classes of vulnerability map for the studyrnarea. Accordingly, factors that are responsible for making the area vulnerable to landrndegradation are, in decreasing order of importance: drainage, slope, geologicalrnstructure, geology (lithology), soil and land use/ land cover.