Effects of urban driven land use/land cover change on forest reserves in Zambia
A geospatial approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21835541 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gift Mulenga (Copperbelt University), Darius Phiri (0000-0001-9593-4970, Copperbelt University, corresponding author), Charles Bwalya Chisanga (0000-0002-7388-5415, Copperbelt University), Matamyo Simwanda (0000-0001-6363-7410, Copperbelt University), Vincent R Nyirenda (0000-0002-3506-3912, Copperbelt University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 132-158 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Geographical Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1937-6812 • E-ISSN: 2163-2642 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19376812.2025.2524392 |
| OpenAlex | W4411765017 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 60 |
In sub-Saharan Africa, forest resources near urban areas are affected by the demand for land; however, information on the long-term changes is still lacking. This study examined two forest reserves, Mwekera and Luano, near Kitwe and Chingola mining towns in Zambia, respectively. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) imagery, we assessed forest cover changes from 1990 to 2020. A pixel-based classification approach was used, and the results were refined with an object-based approach. The findings revealed a significant decline in forest cover, with Mwekera Forest Reserve losing 62.5% and Luano Forest Reserve losing 57.5% of their forest area over the 30 years. The annual deforestation rate was approximately 2.08% for Mwekera Forest Reserve and 1.92% for Luano Forest Reserve. Overall accuracy across the study period showed an overall accuracy improvement over time: 83.35% (1990) to 91.44% (2020) for Mwekera Forest Reserve and 90.52% (1990) to 90.13% (2020) for Luano Forest Reserve, with Kappa Coefficients improvement from 76.22% to 89.73%. Apart from urban settlements, agricultural expansion driven by adjacent urban communities was one of the major factors. This study provides critical insights into forest conservation and the need for sustainable land management practices near urban centers
Agroforestry · Biology · Geography · Geospatial analysis · Land cover · Land use · Land use, land-use change and forestry · Physical geography · Remote sensing · African Botany and Ecology Studies · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Environmental Science · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Ecology · Forestry
Deforestation driven by urban population growth and agricultural trade in the twenty-first century
Good practices for estimating area and assessing accuracy of land change
Standardizing the calculation of the annual rate of deforestation
Habitat fragmentation and its lasting impact on Earth’s ecosystems
Random forest in remote sensing
High population densities catalyse the spread of Covid-19
High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change
Random Forests
Land-use and climate change within assessments of biodiversity change
Socio-economic factors influencing land-use and land-cover changes in the miombo woodlands of the Copperbelt province in Zambia
Reforestation amidst deforestation
Secondary Forest Expansion in the Brazilian Amazon and the Refinement of Forest Transition Theory
Mining, welfare and urbanisation
World population growth over millennia
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |