Abstract
The negative impact of the reduction of vegetation cover is already being felt in the Zambezi Region in northeastern Namibia. The region has been undergoing various land cover changes in the past decades. To understand the historical trend of vegetation cover (increase or decrease), we analyzed 8-km resolution Global Inventory Monitoring and Modeling Studies (GIMMS) from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and 0.25° × 0.25° (resampled to 8 km) resolution Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC). We used the Time Series Segmented Residual Trends (TSS-RESTREND) method. We found that the general trajectory of vegetation cover was negative. Pixel-wise analysis and visual interpretation of historical images both revealed clear signs of vegetation cover change. We observed a single breakpoint in the vegetation trajectory which correlated to the 1991–1992 drought in southern Central Africa. Potential drivers of land cover change are the (il)legal expansion of subsistence farming, population growth, and wood extraction. These findings will serve as a reference for decision makers and policymakers. To better understand the human-induced land cover change at the micro scale and sub-regional level, we recommend using higher resolution remote sensing datasets and historical documents to assess the effect of demographic change, disease, civil unrest, and war.
Highlights
Land degradation is one of the most serious and pervasive global environmental problems we face [1,2]
In this study we focus on the increase or decrease of vegetation cover change [9]
Our findings provide a better understanding of the long-term trajectory of the vegetation cover trend in the Zambezi Region of northeastern Namibia in the last 34 years (1982–2015)
Summary
Land degradation is one of the most serious and pervasive global environmental problems we face [1,2]. This is especially the case in dryland ecosystems, where any slight change in land cover can lead to significant land degradation [3,4]. Land degradation usually occurs due to long-term reduction in temporal and spatial vegetation cover and primary productivity [6]. Land degradation is categorized as vegetation degradation, soil degradation, and unsustainable water use practices [3]. Land degradation is caused by the complex interaction of natural factors (e.g., droughts) and unsustainable anthropogenic land use practices
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