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Understanding Drivers of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Africa: A Review

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

To develop a clear understanding and a critical assessment of current research efforts on the changes and underlying drivers of LULCC in Africa, we provide a global and systematic synthesis of research, aiming at (i) identifying change in land cover and land use; (ii) determining drivers of change and associated consequences for African vegetation and major ecoregions; and (iii) identifying research gaps in the existing literature.

Recent Findings

Despite the divergence in the way changes are driven in African LULC, the main driver of LULCC is change in agricultural practices through reduction in fallow duration, unprecedented population growth with associated needs, and climate variabilities. The consequences of these factors on LULCC include the loss of vegetation cover, soil erosion, and reduction of agricultural yields in specific areas. Studies have shown that shift in forest cover could be linked to the poverty level of the population and the needs for cultivated land, and introduction of marked-oriented agriculture system.

Summary

The main challenge is to develop and implement appropriate context-specific land management strategies, combined with population growth control. It also urges to compute long-term on-site data to assess change in land cover and associated contribution of climate change into the observed changes. Moreover, the relationship between human activities/population growth and the environment causing changes in land cover call for conservation action for a sustainable balance between agricultural production and natural resources conservation. There is a need for agreeing on a common methodology to study for consistent and comparable results in Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, BP 123, Parakou, Benin

    Eméline S. P. Assede & Samadori S. H. Biaou

  2. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, 1121 South Street, Pretoria, South Africa

    Eméline S. P. Assede, Coert J. Geldenhuys & Paxie W. Chirwa

  3. Laboratory of Ecology, Botany and Plant Biology, University of Parakou, 03BP 125, Parakou, Benin

    Eméline S. P. Assede, Hidirou Orou & Samadori S. H. Biaou

  4. Direction Générale des Eaux Forêts et Chasse, BP 393, Cotonou, Bénin

    Fiacre C. Ahononga

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Correspondence to Eméline S. P. Assede.

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Eméline S. P. Assede, Hidirou Orou, Samadori S. H. Biaou, Coert J. Geldenhuys, Fiacre C. Ahononga, and Paxie W. Chirwa declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Assede, E.S.P., Orou, H., Biaou, S.S.H. et al. Understanding Drivers of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Africa: A Review. Curr Landscape Ecol Rep 8, 62–72 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40823-023-00087-w

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