Authors:
K.G. Eric AGBESSI, Eric FOTSING, B. Dode JOHNSON,
, Fousseni FOLEGA, Gabriel H.
SEGNIAGBETO, H. Maleki BADJANA
and Michel TCHOTSOUA ,Togo |
Abstract:
In order to have reliable information on the extent of forest degradation and deforestation for
adequate decision-making, the spatial and temporal dynamics of the protected area, Missahohe
Classified Forest, were studied from Landsat imagery for the years 1986, 2001 and 2018. A
diachronic analysis of the land cover (between 1986 and 2001, on the one hand, and 1986 and
2018 on the other hand) was carried out to analyze ecosystems dynamics. The drivers of forest
degradation and deforestation linked to the anthropogenic pressure observed following the
invasion of the protected area in the 1990s have been identified. A supervised classification was
carried out by applying the "maximum likelihood" algorithm under the ENVI 5.1 software. The
overall accuracy of the resulted maps measured from the Kappa index vary from 0.8 to 0.87. The
conversions experienced by the different units of land use were analyzed. This analysis shows
that forest strata decreased from 1432 ha to 1221.57 ha between 1986 and 2018, a loss of about
210 ha, particularly to crops and human settlements that did not exist in 1986. Riparian forests
and dense forests are the forest strata that have experienced more regression over the past three
decades (from 28.73% in 1986 to 3% in 2018 and from 24.63% in 1986 to 22% in 2018
respectively). While the annual rate of deforestation is estimated at 0.5%. Agriculture, logging,
carbonization and honey harvesting are the four main factors of vegetation cover alteration in the
study area. All of these results are necessary for the choice of the appropriate protection strategy
option for the protected area |
