Assessment of multifunctional landscapes dynamics in the mountainous basin of the Mo River (Togo, West Africa)

Abstract

In this study, historical landscape dynamics were investigated to (i) map the land use/cover types for the years 1972, 1987, 2000 and 2014; (ii) determine the types and processes of landscape dynamics; and (iii) assess the landscape fragmentation and habitat loss over time. Supervised classification of multi-temporal Landsat images was used through a pixel-based approach. Post-classification methods included systematic and random change detection, trajectories analysis and landscape fragmentation assessment. The overall accuracies (and Kappa statistics) were of 68.86% (0.63), 91.32% (0.79), 90.66% (0.88) and 91.88% (0.89) for 1972, 1987, 2000 and 2014, respectively. The spatio-temporal analyses indicated that forests, woodlands and savannahs dominated the landscapes during the four dates, though constant areal decreases were observed. The most important dynamic process was the decline of woodlands with an average annual net loss rate of-2%. Meanwhile, the most important land transformation occurred during the transition 2000-2014, due to anthropogenic pressures. Though the most important loss of vegetation greenness occurred in the unprotected areas, the overall analyses of change indicated a declining trend of land cover quality and an increasing landscape fragmentation. Sustainable conservation strategies should be promoted while focusing restoration attention on degraded lands and fragmented ecosystems in order to support rural livelihood and biodiversity conservation.

Remote Sensing-Based and Participatory Analysis of Forests, Agricultural Land Dynamics, and Potential Land Conservation Measures in Kloto District (Togo, West Africa)

“…Relevant studies on forest dynamics in a changing climate, its roles, drivers, policies, and reliable methods for their monitoring are duly undertaken using different approaches. While some of them are based on simple remote sensing e.g., [13][14][15][16][17][18][19], others have investigated the intensity analysis e.g., [20][21][22][23]. Though previous studies integrated remote sensing and household surveys to investigate landscape dynamics e.g., [24,25], little is known about the approach in Togo.…”

Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Images and Support Vector Machine to Assess the Changes in Agricultural Irrigated Areas in the Mogtedo Region, Burkina Faso

“…An intensity analysis was performed to assess the changes in LULC classes between 1987, 2000, and 2015 [46,47]. This method has been used extensively to understand LULC changes (e.g., [48][49][50][51][52]). We used the approach proposed by [53] which can identify whether the pattern of a LULC class is stable across time intervals in terms of the intensity of gains and losses.…”

Modelling soil erosion response to sustainable landscape management scenarios in the Mo River Basin (Togo, West Africa)

“…LAMPT_Mo tool estimates of soil loss in Mo Basin amount to 26, 23, 27 and 44 t/ha/yr, respectively for 1972, 1987, 2000 and 2014. Because of the lack of measured data specific for the Mo basin, the accuracy of these outputs is hard to evaluate, and therefore we discussed the input data and compared the model outputs with other similar case studies. With regard to the input data used to compute the soil cover factor C, the land cover maps of good accuracies useful for model inputs (Diwediga et al, 2017b) as their ecological characteristics were successfully depicted through the combined analysis of remote sensing and ecological data in the area (Diwediga et al, 2015). With regard to R factor, derived based on gridded rainfall data covering the study area (Diwediga et al, 2017a), was usefully developed and used in several studies over West Africa Tamene and Le, 2015;Diwediga et al, 2017a).…”

“…Based on the principle of evaluation by construct, the accuracy level of the model inputs, such as LUC types (ranging from 69 to 92%) (Diwediga et al, 2017b) and soil erodibility , and the landform-based inputs (Fig. S1) are satisfactory for modelling (Aguirre-Gutiérrez et al, 2012;Leh et al, 2013;Monserud and Leemans, 1992).…”

“…In Togo, although studies have been conducted to assess the effects of landscape dynamics on ecosystem services (Folega et al, 2015;Diwediga et al, 2017a;Diwediga et al, 2017b), there has been no assessment of soil erosion and the effects of landscape dynamics on its patterns in rural multifunctional landscapes of Togo. In mountainous landscapes of the Mo River basin, spatial information on soil erosion for the development proper management strategies are still lacking, even though the quantitative spatial assessment of soil loss is important at basin scale where local initiatives can be promoted in effective ways.…”