Inter-annual variations of land cover in and around maroua, northern cameroon

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Abstract

Land degradation is progressing on the Earth. Such degradation results from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. We studied inter-annual variations of land cover around Maroua, Northern Cameroon using Landsat MSS data in order to evaluate a degree of land degradation. The results of this study are summarized as follows: (1) We found increases in area of bare land and cultivating land, and a decrease of biomass in savanna vegetation after 1973. These features show a progress of land degradation in the study area. (2) The degradation trends correspond to climatic fluctuation. Especially, area of bare land correlates closely with annual rainfall. (3) About 100 km^2 of the study area shows irreversible degradation between 1973 and 1987.

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