The Environmental and Socio Economic Signatures of Landcover and Landuse Dynamics in the Ndu Tea Estate, North West Cameroon

Abstract

Land is a fundamental factor of production and thus the source of all forms of material wealth. For a sustainable utilization of the land resources, it is essential to know its natural characteristics, extent, location and limitations of various land uses as improper land use is the cause of different forms of environmental degradation. This paper sets out to quantitatively analyze the spatio- temporal dynamics of landcover and landuse patterns in Ndu Sub-Division with emphasis on land for tea cultivation in a bid to provide useful information to stakeholders on the environmental and socio economic signatures. The methodology consisted of three phases; the first phase handled data acquisition, vectorization and satellite image processing. This was followed by field work, aimed at verification of ground truth, collection of GPS waypoints, GPS tracks and attribute data. The third phase consisted of post field activities, comprising of restitution and validation of data, map production and analysis. The findings show that between 1988 to 2018, Ndu Sub Division experienced a drop in farmlands and savanna vegetation by 1.9% (from 60882.7 to 58616.6ha) while forests, built-up areas, tea parcels and small holder schemes witnessed an increased by 1.1% (18109.7 to 18500.9ha), 39.7% (13184.4 to 3051.5ha), 5.2% (619.85 to 688.27ha) and 100% (0 to 73.2ha) respectively. Such dynamics have been accompanied by both positive and negative imprints. On the positive side, the Ndu Tea Estate is a catalyst in rural livelihood transformation and development. The participation of the local populations in the activities of the estate has led to income improvement and poverty alleviation. However, land tenure disputes, labour abuse characterized by low wages, poor living conditions for unskilled workers and job insecurity are glaring. On the environmental side, bush fires, environmental pollution through chemical spraying, fertilizers and deforestation are common.