TITLE:
Spatial Analysis of Structural Changes and Floristic Distribution of Forest Landscapes in the Centre-West Region of Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Stéphane Koudougou, Oumar Kaboré
KEYWORDS:
Change Process, Fragmentation, Remote Sensing, Landscape, Burkina Faso
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: Land use and occupation dynamics impact landscape structure, diversity, richness and balance of vegetation cover. The aim of this study is to describe the process of fragmentation of the forest landscape from 1990 to 2020 and its effects on the degradation of the floristic characteristics of the vegetation in the Central West region of Burkina Faso. To achieve this, satellite data were collected and processed as part of a mapping approach to describing the landscape and the different types of landscape fragmentation. Mapping indices of landscape fragmentation (relative richness, change process, patch zones, Shannon diversity index) were also calculated. These indices were programmed in Idrisi Selva’s Landscape Pattern and change process analysis module. Spatio-temporal analysis revealed that in 1990, the landscape was dominated by natural vegetation formations, covering 66.33% of the territory. By 2020, these had been degraded to 44.80% by farmlands. The mapping analysis of indices also showed that the study area is characterized by four types of landscape fragmentation, including attrition, aggregation, creation and dissection. We also observed an abundant homogeneity, diversity and richness of conservation areas with legal and land tenure status. However, the structure is heterogeneous in landscapes outside protected areas and in areas under human occupation. This shows the crucial role played by conservation areas in preserving and balancing the diversity of vegetative cover in the study area.