Analysis of the Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Land Cover Using Remote Sensing in the Ziama Biosphere Reserve, Guinea (2000-2024)

Abstract

The Ziama Biosphere Reserve (ZBR) is recognized as one of the last remaining areas of dense rainforest in the Republic of Guinea. It is the only known habitat for forest elephants in the country due to its low-altitude topography, which is conducive to their survival. However, this ecosystem is increasingly subjected to significant human pressure, particularly due to the search for arable land. The objective of this study was to identify and analyze land-use types within the ZRB. To do so, we collected LANDSAT satellite images from the Earth Explore portal (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/). Of these, 6 bands (B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, and B7) were selected for analysis. Processing these bands allowed us to extract the study area in order to visualize the  different land cover classes for the periods 2000, 2010, and 2024 using confusion matrices to assess  accuracy. The results reveal a decrease in the area of fallow land between 2000 and 2010, from 0.2328 to 0.1367, representing a reduction of 9.61%. In contrast to the 2010–2024 period, a considerable increase in area is observed for the fallow land (49.88%), rocky outcrop (20.51%), and bare soil (11.64%) classes. This trend reflects an expansion of degraded areas, indicating increased anthropogenic pressure on the ZRB. With the aim of restoring the integrity.