Exploring the landscape pattern change analysis for the transboundary Nyungwe-Kibira Forest (2000–2019): a spatially explicit assessment

Introduction and aimEnsuring the protection and restoration of forest ecosystems is vital to maintaining and restoring ecological balance in deforested or degraded landscapes. However, sustainable development faces challenges from high human impacts on natural forest ecosystems, insufficient advanced conservation measures, and limited engagement of local communities in developing nations. The aim of this study was to explore the utility of spatial remote sensing datasets in examining the landscape pattern changes within the transboundary Nyungwe-Kibira Forest from 2000 to 2019. This aimed to emphasize the necessity of understanding the intricate dynamics of this ecosystem and its susceptibility to human activities in order to bolster diverse restoration initiatives throughout the region.MethodsThe landscape pattern change in the Nyungwe-Kibira between 2000 and 2019 was analysed using high-resolution Landsat data. This analysis encompassed an evaluation of the dynamics of changes in built-up, cropland, and forest areas within the region. Especially, primary data derived from the Landsat dataset and secondary data from reports such as the Outlook Report were employed to elucidate the ongoing landscape transformation within and surrounding the transboundary forest.Results and discussionThe analysis revealed a net change of +62.3% and +18.07% in built-up and cropland areas, resulting in a gross change of 14,133 ha and 6,322 ha in built-up and cropland areas, respectively. Furthermore, the forest experienced an overall gain of 9.11%, corresponding to a net loss of 6.92% due to deforestation, estimated at -14,764 ha. The analysis also indicated that built-up areas accounted for approximately 33.02% of the net forest loss, primarily affecting the northern edge of the Rwanda region, while cropland expansion contributed to a net loss of forest (-9.48%), predominantly impacting the southeast portion of the forest in Burundi. Additionally, the forest is predicted to decrease by 0.74% by 2030, with current findings showing aggregated forest and cropland at 66% and 7%, dissected rangeland at 24%, and created built-up areas at 3%. The findings indicate that the Nyungwe-Kibira Forest is undergoing notable transformations, highlighting the necessity of land-based projects and mitigation plans to facilitate the restoration of the forest from its historical changes. Without proactive measures, an ongoing decrease in forest area by 2030 is anticipated

Spatio-seasonal variation of water quality influenced by land use and land cover in Lake Muhazi.

peer reviewedUnderstanding the influence of land use/land cover (LULC) on water quality is pertinent to sustainable water management. This study aimed at assessing the spatio-seasonal variation of water quality in relation to land use types in Lake Muhazi, Rwanda. The National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI) was used to evaluate the anthropogenically-induced water quality changes. In addition to Principal Components Analysis (PCA), a Cluster Analysis (CA) was applied on 12-clustered sampling sites and the obtained NSF-WQI. Lastly, the Partial Least Squares Path Modelling (PLS-PM) was used to estimate the nexus between LULC, water quality parameters, and the obtained NSF-WQI. The results revealed a poor water quality status at the Mugorore and Butimba sites in the rainy season, then at Mugorore and Bwimiyange sites in the dry season. Furthermore, PCA displayed a sample dispersion based on seasonality while NSF-WQI's CA hierarchy grouped the samples corresponding to LULC types. Finally, the PLS-PM returned a strong positive correlation (+ 0.831) between LULCs and water quality parameters in the rainy season but a negative correlation coefficient (- 0.542) in the dry season, with great influences of cropland on the water quality parameters. Overall, this study concludes that the lake is seasonally influenced by anthropogenic activities, suggesting sustainable land-use management decisions, such as the establishment and safeguarding protection belts in the lake vicinity

A Spatial and Temporal Assessment of Vegetation Greening and Precipitation Changes for Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics in Climate Zones over Africa

Vegetation is vital, and its greening depends on access to water. Thus, precipitation has a considerable influence on the health and condition of vegetation and its amount and timing depend on the climatic zone. Therefore, it is extremely important to monitor the state of vegetation according to the movements of precipitation in climatic zones. Although a lot of research has been conducted, most of it has not paid much attention to climatic zones in the study of plant health and precipitation. Thus, this paper aims to study the plant health in five African climatic zones. The linear regression model, the persistence index (PI), and the Pearson correlation coefficients were applied for the third generation Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI3g), with Climate Hazard Group infrared precipitation and Climate Change Initiative Land Cover for 34 years (1982 to 2015). This involves identifying plants in danger of extinction or in dramatic decline and the relationship between vegetation and rainfall by climate zone. The forest type classified as tree cover, broadleaved, deciduous, closed to open (>15%) has been degraded to 74% of its initial total area. The results also revealed that, during the study period, the vegetation of the tropical, polar, and warm temperate zones showed a higher rate of strong improvement. Although arid and boreal zones show a low rate of strong improvement, they are those that experience a low percentage of strong degradation. The continental vegetation is drastically decreasing, especially forests, and in areas with low vegetation, compared to more vegetated areas, there is more emphasis on the conservation of existing plants. The variability in precipitation is excessively hard to tolerate for more types of vegetation