TITLE:
Remote Sensing and Landscape Metrics-Based Forest Physical Degradation: Two-Decades Assessment in Gishwati-Mukura Biological Corridor in Rwanda, East-Central Africa
AUTHORS:
Hassina Uwiringiyimana, Jaeyong Choi
KEYWORDS:
Landscape Metrics, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), Forest Physical Degradation, Biological Corridor, National Park
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
19,
2022
ABSTRACT: The management of forest corridors and related ecology is one of the
effective strategies to minimize the adverse effects of forest degradation. It
controls the connectivity of inhabitant species and the connection of the
isolated patches. This study analyzed spatial and temporal forest physical
degradation based on forest cover change and forest fragmentation in the
Gishwati-Mukura biological corridor from 1990-2019.
Remotely sensed datasets, Geographical Information
System (GIS) and FRAGSTATS software were used to analyze the spatial and
temporal physical degradation and changes in forest cover. The results
indicated that the Gishwati-Mukura corridor experienced massive deforestation where approximately 7617.1 ha (64.22%) of forest
cover was completely cleared out,
which implies an annual forest loss of 262.6 ha·year-1 (2.21%) during 1990-2019. The forest cover
transitions patterns and geostatistical analysis indicated that extensive
deforestation was associated with intensive agriculture. The results demonstrated
that agriculture has dramatically increased from 29.46% in 1990 to 57.22% in
2019, with an annual increase of 1.97%. Since Gishwati-Mukura has changed to
National Park (NP), it lacks diversified scientific studies addressing the
analysis of the remote and spatial patterns to investigate its physical
degradation and landscape dynamics. This research study will serve as remote
forest analysis gap-filling and as the cornerstone of numerous other research
that will contribute to the improvement of
the connectivity assessments along the Gishwati-Mukura corridor and other related ecosystems.