Quantifying spatial reallocation of land use/land cover categories in West Africa

Past Land Use Cover (LULC) transitions analysis at the sub-continental scale of West Africa revealed spatial reallocation, i.e., simultaneous losses and gains LULC categories different locations. We applied component approach to separate total change into three major components, quantity (net change), exchange shift (allocation change) as a way analyse such reallocation identify paired that accounted for largest through time. Quantity is absolute value category’s gross minus losses. An occurs when example, natural vegetation patch evolves cropland location concurrently with an equal extent evolving location. A involved in are more than two. The amount locations these exchanges occurred very useful information land policies appraisal long term contested re-greening it may signal regrowth degradation same landscape also possible misclassification errors. results large between 1975 2000 arid humid eco-regions Africa. Overall, components wetland, water bodies some other forestland, were highest. was considerable, which confirms despite massive by previous studies. Here, 1975–2000 highlighted categories. highest net experienced period 2013 all aggregations. Settlement positive whilst forestland negative change. Shift absent category settlements indicating persistence over This provided on