Dynamics of inselberg landscapes and their adjacent areas in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Benin through remote sensing analysis

Abstract

Aims: Land cover change in inselbergs and adjacent areas was studied from 2003 to 2018 in a region facing anthropogenic pressures to assess dynamics and preserve rare endemic species. Study area: Inselbergs and their adjacent areas in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Benin are included in this study. Methods: Land cover classes of inselbergs and adjacent areas were obtained through supervised classification of Sentinel-2 (2018) and Spot 5 (2003) satellite images. A Chi-square test was used to compare protected and unprotected LULC classes of inselbergs, with 10 m spatial resolution. Results: The results showed that forest and woodland decreased respectively from 8.55% to 3.05% and from 17.63% to 4.79% between 2003 and 2018 while tree and shrub savanna, and grassland increased respectively from 6.52% to 9.49% and from 7.60% to 16.69%. Field and fallow increased from 5.57% in 2003 to 26.12% in 2018 and tree plantation from 6.05% to 13.47%. The analysis of spatial comparisons using the chi-square test showed that the presence of inselbergs in a protected area has no significant effect on their land use. Conclusions: Natural vegetation in inselbergs and adjacent areas is being converted into human-made landscapes by farmers. An urgent conservation plan is needed, including awareness campaigns, tree planting, and sustainable forest management. Taxonomic reference: Akoègninou et al. (2006). Abbreviations: DEM = Digital Elevation Model; GCP = Ground Control Point; LULC = Land Use/Land Cover; ROI = Region of Interest; SRTM = Satellite imagery data, Shuttle radar topography mission.