Assessment of Habitat Change Processes within theOti-Keran-Mandouri Network of Protected Areas in Togo (West Africa) from 1987 to 2013 Using Decision Tree Analysis

Sci ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Aniko Polo-Akpisso ◽  
Kpérkouma Wala ◽  
Ouattara Soulemane ◽  
Fousseni Foléga ◽  
Koffi Akpagana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Habitat Change ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Land Cover Maps

Biodiversity conservation planning is highly important in the current context of global change. Biodiversity conservation can be achieved by understanding changes in land use at the landscape scale. Such understanding is needed to reverse the unprecedented pressure on natural resources that has been reported by many studies conducted on biodiversity conservation within the Oti-Keran-Mandouri protected areas. Land cover maps reflecting different dates (1987, 2000, and 2013) and depicting different management systems, with overall accuracy ranging from 73% to 79%, were analyzed to understand the processes that lead to habitat degradation within these protected areas. The nature of change, within a given land cover class, was determined by comparing land cover maps on different dates using a decision tree algorithm that compares the number of patches, their areas, and their perimeters at different time periods (T1 and T2). Specifically, two time-periods were considered for this analysis: 1987–2000 and 2000–2013. Croplands and settlements increased at an average of 108.13% and 5.45%, respectively, from 1987 to 2000. From 2000 to 2013, croplands gained from all other land categories and continued to increase at a rate of 11.77% per year, whereas forests and savannas decreased at an annual average rate by 5.79% and 2.32%, respectively. The dominant processes of habitat change from 1987 to 2000 were the creation of forests, dissection of savannas, attrition of wetlands, and creation of croplands. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2013, there was attrition of forests, as well as attrition of savannas, dissection of wetlands, and aggregation of croplands. In general, from 1987 to 2013, natural habitats regressed and were replaced by croplands; forests, savannas, and wetlands decreased at an average annual percentage 5.74%, 3.94%, and 2.02%, respectively, whereas croplands increased at an average annual rate of 285.39% of their own area. Aggregation, attrition, dissection, and creation were the main habitat change processes identified for the overall period from 1987 to 2013. There was habitat loss in forests and savannas and habitat fragmentation in wetland due to attrition and dissection, respectively. Identifying and understanding habitat change processes would enable the taking of appropriate biodiversity conservation actions.

scholarly journals Assessment of Habitat Change Processes within the Oti-Keran-Mandouri Network of Protected Areas in Togo (West Africa) from 1987 to 2013 Using Decision Tree Analysis

Sci ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Aniko Polo-Akpisso ◽  
Kperkouma Wala ◽  
Ouattara Soulemane ◽  
Fousseni Folega ◽  
Koffi Akpagana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Habitat Change ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Land Cover Maps

Biodiversity conservation planning is highly important in the current context of global change. Biodiversity conservation can be achieved by understanding changes in land use at the landscape scale. Such understanding is needed to reverse the unprecedented pressure on natural resources that has been reported by many studies conducted on biodiversity conservation within the Oti-Keran-Mandouri protected areas. Land cover maps reflecting different dates (1987, 2000, and 2013) and depicting different management systems, with overall accuracy ranging from 73% to 79%, were analyzed to understand the processes that lead to habitat degradation within these protected areas. The nature of change, within a given land cover class, was determined by comparing land cover maps on different dates using a decision tree algorithm that compares the number of patches, their areas, and their perimeters at different time periods (T1 and T2). Specifically, two time-periods were considered for this analysis: 1987–2000 and 2000–2013. Croplands and settlements increased at an average of 108.13% and 5.45%, respectively, from 1987 to 2000. From 2000 to 2013, croplands gained from all other land categories and continued to increase at a rate of 11.77% per year, whereas forests and savannas decreased at an annual average rate by 5.79% and 2.32%, respectively. The dominant processes of habitat change from 1987 to 2000 were the creation of forests, dissection of savannas, attrition of wetlands, and creation of croplands. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2013, there was attrition of forests, as well as attrition of savannas, dissection of wetlands, and aggregation of croplands. In general, from 1987 to 2013, natural habitats regressed and were replaced by croplands; forests, savannas, and wetlands decreased at an average annual percentage 5.74%, 3.94%, and 2.02%, respectively, whereas croplands increased at an average annual rate of 285.39% of their own area. Aggregation, attrition, dissection, and creation were the main habitat change processes identified for the overall period from 1987 to 2013. There was habitat loss in forests and savannas and habitat fragmentation in wetland due to attrition and dissection, respectively. Identifying and understanding habitat change processes would enable the taking of appropriate biodiversity conservation actions.

scholarly journals Correlates of long-term land-cover change and protected area performance at priority conservation sites in Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALISON E. BERESFORD ◽  
GRAEME M. BUCHANAN ◽  
BEN PHALAN ◽  
GEORGE W. ESHIAMWATA ◽  
ANDREW BALMFORD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natural Land

SUMMARYThe loss of natural habitats is a major threat to biodiversity, and protected area designation is one of the standard responses to this threat. However, greater understanding of the drivers of habitat loss and of the circumstances under which protected areas succeed or fail is still needed. We use visual assessment of satellite images to quantify land-cover change over periods of up to 30 years in and around a matched sample of protected and unprotected Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Africa. We modelled the annual survival of forests and other natural land covers as a function of a range of environmental and anthropic predictors of plausible drivers. The best-supported model indicated that survival rates of natural land cover were highest in steeper areas, at higher altitudes, in areas with lower human population densities and in areas where the cover of natural habitats was already higher at the start of the period. Survival rates of natural land cover in protected areas were, on average, around twice those in unprotected areas, but the differences between them varied along different environmental gradients. The overall survival rates of both protected and unprotected forests were significantly lower than those of other natural land-cover types, but the net benefit of protection, in terms of the absolute difference in rates of loss between protected and unprotected sites, was higher in forests. Interaction terms indicated that as slope and altitude increased, the natural protection offered by topography increasingly nullified the additional benefits of legislative protection. Furthermore, protected area designation offered reduced additional benefits to the survival of natural land cover in areas where rates of conversion were higher at the start of the observation period. Variation in the impacts of protected area status along different environmental gradients indicates that targets to improve the world's protected area network, such as Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, need to look beyond simple area-based metrics. Our methods and results contribute to the development of a protocol for prioritizing places where protection is likely to have the greatest effect.

The Implication of Land Use Land Cover Change on Biodiversity Conservation: An Overview from Protected Areas in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Israel Petros Menbere ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
National Park ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Planning And Management

Conversion of natural habitat to other forms of land use is the main threat to protected areas and biodiversity globally. The continued trend of land use land cover change in protected areas resulted in loss of a large portion of biodiversity, overexploitation by humans, transformation of natural land to human settlement, etc. In Ethiopia, the causes for land use land cover change in many protected areas are farmland expansion, deforestation, unsustainable grazing and settlement expansion, and are leading to loss of biodiversity and negative impacts of ecosystem services. In addition, Ethiopia’s protected areas entertain escalating threats and land cover changes due to human population growth, competing claims from the surrounding communities, incompatible investment, lack of environmental law enforcement, absence of complete plan and timely update for protected areas, etc. These have affected protected areas in the country namely the Bale Mountains National Park, Chocke Mountains, Babile Elephant sanctuary, Abijata Shalla Lakes National Park, Awash National Park and others. The continued land use land cover changes are aggravating ecosystem, soil and water resources degradation in mountainous protected areas while they are leading to biodiversity destruction and loss of forest cover in lowland protected areas. In order to halt and reduce the impact of land cover change on biodiversity conservation, undertaking complete land use planning and continuous monitoring of protected areas was found to be important. Similarly, integrating protected areas into the surrounding landscapes and a broader framework of national plans, promoting income generation means for communities surrounding protected areas, promoting biodiversity conservation directly linked to poverty alleviation, involving local communities and stakeholders in land use planning and sustainable management of protected areas, enhancing sound management in vulnerable mountain protected areas and restoring abandoned lands located in and around protected areas are crucial in the proper land use planning and management of protected areas. In addition, enhancing awareness creation and promoting natural resource information of protected areas and enhancing scientific study on land use land cover change pattern of protected areas are vital to undertake effective land use planning and management of protected areas in Ethiopia.

scholarly journals Biodiversity Conservation in Road Projects: Lessons from World Bank Experience in Latin America

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Ledec ◽  
Paula J. Posas
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
Road Projects

The unprecedented and irreversible loss of biodiversity in modern times is caused primarily by the elimination or degradation of natural habitats. Because the construction and improvement of roads sometimes lead, directly or indirectly, to the loss and degradation of natural habitats, road construction and biodiversity aims are often at odds. However, many potentially serious conflicts between road projects and biodiversity conservation can be avoided. Induced negative impacts can be minimized by careful project siting. Where some natural habitat loss is inevitable, appropriate mitigation may include establishment of strict protection zones alongside the road or compensatory protected areas elsewhere. Such mitigation requires effective collaboration, for example, between the agencies responsible for roads and protected areas. Direct adverse impacts of road works on biodiversity also can be significant but are generally simpler to avoid or mitigate because they are more fully under the control of road construction agencies, contractors, and concessionaires. Biodiversity loss and environmental damage can be considerably reduced when planners and road construction agencies site roads adjacent to existing railways, pipelines, or transmission lines; practice sound road engineering; maintain good drainage and natural water flows; minimize roadside habitat loss; and exercise care in the siting and design of borrow pits, construction camps, and other complementary facilities. Environmental rules for contractors, including transparent penalties for noncompliance, need to be incorporated in bidding documents and contracts. Ideally, road projects are designed and implemented so as to avoid or compensate adequately for any adverse impacts on natural habitats and biodiversity. Through mitigation measures, potentially controversial projects can even produce significant net environmental benefits—a win-win outcome.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF THE THEMATIC ACCURACY OF LAND COVER MAPS

2015 ◽  
Vol II-3/W5 ◽  
pp. 187-194
Author(s):  
J. Höhle
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Classification Methods ◽  
Average Width ◽  
Accuracy Measures ◽  
Thematic Accuracy ◽  
Land Cover Maps

Several land cover maps are generated from aerial imagery and assessed by different approaches. The test site is an urban area in Europe for which six classes (‘building’, ‘hedge and bush’, ‘grass’, ‘road and parking lot’, ‘tree’, ‘wall and car port’) had to be derived. Two classification methods were applied (‘Decision Tree’ and ‘Support Vector Machine’) using only two attributes (height above ground and normalized difference vegetation index) which both are derived from the images. The assessment of the thematic accuracy applied a stratified design and was based on accuracy measures such as user’s and producer’s accuracy, and kappa coefficient. In addition, confidence intervals were computed for several accuracy measures. The achieved accuracies and confidence intervals are thoroughly analysed and recommendations are derived from the gained experiences. Reliable reference values are obtained using stereovision, false-colour image pairs, and positioning to the checkpoints with 3D coordinates. The influence of the training areas on the results is studied. Cross validation has been tested with a few reference points in order to derive approximate accuracy measures. The two classification methods perform equally for five classes. Trees are classified with a much better accuracy and a smaller confidence interval by means of the decision tree method. Buildings are classified by both methods with an accuracy of 99% (95% CI: 95%-100%) using independent 3D checkpoints. The average width of the confidence interval of six classes was 14% of the user’s accuracy.

scholarly journals Mires in Europe—Regional Diversity, Condition and Protection

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 381
Author(s):  
Franziska Tanneberger ◽  
Asbjørn Moen ◽  
Alexandra Barthelmes ◽  
Edward Lewis ◽  
Lera Miles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
The World ◽  
Total Proportion ◽  
Monitoring Service ◽  
Land Cover Maps ◽  
The Eu

In spite of the worldwide largest proportional loss of mires, Europe is a continent with important mire diversity. This article analyses the condition and protection status of European mire ecosystems. The overview is based on the system of European mire regions, representing regional variety and ecosystem biodiversity. We combined peatland distribution data with land cover maps of the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service as well as with the World Database on Protected Areas to assess the extent of degraded peatlands and the proportion of peatlands located in protected areas in each European mire region. The total proportion of degraded peatlands in Europe is 25%; within the EU it is 50% (120,000 km2). The proportion of degradation clearly increases from north to south, as does the proportion of peatlands located within protected areas. In more than half of Europe’s mire regions, the target of at least 17% of the area located in protected areas is not met with respect to peatlands. Data quality is discussed and the lessons learned from Europe for peatland conservation are presented.

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