Deforestation and regrowth phenology in miombo woodland-assessed by Landsat Multispectral Scanner System data

Analysis of land-cover/use change dynamics in Manica Province in Mozambique in a period of transition (1990–2004)

“…Direct causes mentioned in all these studies but never empirically analysed include fuel wood extraction, selective logging by commercial firms, charcoal production, extraction of construction material, burning and conversion into cultivated fields and plantation (not really the case in Manica) with the human population growth as the ultimate cause (Desanker et al, 1997;Backéus et al, 2006). Fuel wood extraction is not limited to use by the family households, it is also needed in relation to tobacco production (Prins and Kikula, 1996) that is an increasing activity in Manica according to personal communication of the colleagues at the Forest Inventory Unit (UIF) of the Ministry of Agriculture.…”

“…Cropping intensity is important to global environmental change (Keys and McConnell, 2005). For example, the need of fuel wood for tobacco production as reported by Prins and Kikula (1996) links changes in forests and woodlands with changes in cultivated areas.…”

Forest cover change in Miombo Woodlands: modeling land cover of African dry tropical forests with linear spectral mixture analysis

“…In western Tanzania, rates of woodland habitat loss to agriculture have been documented at 4.7% from 1984-1995and 11.2% from 1995(Yanda, 2010. Regional and plot-scale studies have also observed forest regrowth (Chidumayo, 2013;Prins & Kikula, 1996;Yanda, 2010). Beyond documented net forest cover losses, little data exists on the patterns of gross forest loss and regrowth that are resulting in the net changes.…”

“…More recent products, such as the global forest-change maps of Hansen et al (2013), evaluate forest conversion only in areas with greater than 50% canopy cover and with trees greater than 5 m height (Hansen et al, 2013). Such definitions may exclude many chronically disturbed and re-growing Miombo forest regions (Chidumayo, 2013;Prins & Kikula, 1996). Physically-based, regionally-calibrated measures are needed to identify forest cover and conversions in the Miombo using satellite data.…”

Applicability of Satellite Remote Sensing in Accounting AboveGround Carbon in Miombo Woodlands

“…Once the remotely sensed data are validated, they can be used to estimate forest biomass for wider areas where there are very little or no field measurements. Land cover assessments in Miombo woodlands have been successfully done using a variety of remote sensing data including LANDSAT imagery (Prins and Kikula, 1996). Therefore, the specific objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of determining the stock of carbon using remotely sensed data in selected Miombo woodlands of Tanzania.…”