From Land Cover to Landscape Structure: Change and Fragmentation Analysis in Korup National Park, Cameroon

Ndoh Mbue Innocent,Bitondo Dieudonne

doi:10.5539/jgg.v4n1p103

Abstract

Can the designation of protected area status in a human inhabited ecosystem limit anthropogenic activities within the boundaries of the protected area? To attempt an answer to this question, we used the Central zone of Korup National Park, Cameroon as an example. Comparing two satellite imageries (1986 and 2000), it was possible to assess land cover transformations, and with the FRAGSTATS software it was possible to quantify the changes of landscape characteristics in the area fourteen years after the creation of the park in 1986. The results revealed an increase in exposed surfaces (15.61%), which came at the expense of forest-land-cover (-12.69%) and water bodies (-2.92%). Meanwhile, landscape metrics demonstrated significant changes including, an increase in the number and size of patch, diversity and fragmentation. Overall, structural metrics for landscape indicated that anthropogenic activities still continue within the boundaries of the park. The results con?rm the effectiveness of the combined method of remote sensing and metrics.

Highlights

While tropical forest loss is recognized as a regional as well as a global problem, little is known on a local scale about the extent, dynamics and the complex relationships between environmental, economic, social and natural resource policy factors that induce changes in land use patterns
We conducted this study in the central zone of the Korup National Park (Figure 1), which makes up 41% of the park and is bounded by three villages (Erat, EkonI, and Ekundo-kundo/resettlement site)
This study quantified the altered conditions of Central zone of Korup National Park (CKNP) landscape during the period from 1986–2000, changes that were mainly due to conversion to other landscape types

Summary

Introduction

While tropical forest loss is recognized as a regional as well as a global problem, little is known on a local scale about the extent, dynamics and the complex relationships between environmental, economic, social and natural resource policy factors that induce changes in land use patterns. This is important in the forest regions of Cameroon where forest fragmentation has been a common phenomenon in the past few decades and most of the surviving forests consist of systems of small patches of natural forests, which are increasingly coming under large scale deforestation without measures to combat its consequences. The central question is, “does the designation of protected area status for Korup National Park limit pressure from anthropogenic activities within the park boundaries?” The aim is to assess land cover and landscape change patterns in the central zone of Korup National Park, Cameroon

Methods

Results

Conclusion