Socio-spatial changes in the Koba classified forest in the sub-prefecture of Vavoua (central-western Côte d'Ivoire)
Abstract
The introduction and growth of new tree crops (cashew nuts and rubber trees) in Central and Central-Western Côte d'Ivoire as a result of global warming has exacerbated the state of degradation of the classified forests in these areas. The example of the Koba classified forest, located in the Centre-West, in the Department of Vavoua, is quite edifying. The research objective is to take stock of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the forest cover of this protected area from 1995, the year of the last study carried out by SODEFOR, to 2023. To achieve this objective, the methodology consisted of a multi-date analysis of the forest cover using Landsat optical satellite imagery (Landsat TM 1995, Landsat ETM+ 2010 and Landsat OLI-Tirs 2023) coupled with direct field observation and a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire survey focused on the route method, with 10 localities surveyed and a total population surveyed estimated at 150 people. The results show that between 1995 and 2023, the landscape initially dominated by open forest and dense forest (49%) in 1995 has been replaced by other land-use categories, the most important of which are perennial crops (46%) and mosaics of crops and fallow land (26%) in 2023. Human activities and climatic disturbances are the main determinants of these land cover dynamics.
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