Alert for all African Land Use Planners: New FREE 5m resolution maps analysing cropland and deforestation

Accurate mapping of land use change following deforestation across a continent the size of Africa has now been done. Maps were created using high resolution remote sensing data (e.g. Planet-NICFI) and a deep learning model, analysed with “local reference data”. 15 forms of land use were identified and located – from cultivation of various crops through rangeland to mining. These are the first continent-wide land use maps at high-resolution (accurate down to 5 meters) (Masolele et.al, 2024). Up till now, there has been a lack of good data and detailed knowledge of land use after deforestation. The maps can be accessed free at https://robertnag82.users.earthengine.app/view/africalu.

Causes of forest loss vary from region to region across Africa. Small-scale cropland is the main driver of forest loss in Africa, with hotspots in Madagascar and DR Congo, according to the study. Cocoa, oil palm and rubber are causing (humid) forest loss in western and central Africa. Large hotspots of deforestation associated with cropland is occurring in Nigeria and Zambia. Cashew is increasing in the dry forest of western and south-eastern Africa. The study breaks it down further by country, with a table showing the total area of land use following deforestation by Mega hactare (Mha) per land use and per country; and also by region hotspots within countries. It is likely that there will be further deforestation in many of these same areas.

These maps show where commodity expansion leads to deforestation. They can be used for strategic planning and implementation of deforestation mitigation measures by governments and forest protection agencies – both in Africa and the European Union – and by the surveyors who are supporting them. There is a new EU-regulation which aims to establish ..”deforestation-free supply chains” for products made from certain raw materials.” Decision makers will be able to better develop targeted conservation strategies and mitigate the environmental impacts across Africa. https://www.rural21.com/english/scientific-world/detail/article/mapping-the-diversity-of-land-usesfollowing-deforestation-across-africa.html

Once again we see the complexity of the challenge of how to balance the needs of often poor small holder farmers on the one hand, with global environmental goals and supply chains on the other hand. The land administration professional is central to this debate.

Masolele, R.N., Marcos, D., De Sy, V., Abo, I.-O., Verbesselt, J., Reiche, J., Herold, M., Mapping the diversity of land uses following deforestation across Africa. Sci Rep 14, 1681 (2024).

Written by Clarissa Augustinus, Co-Chair, FIG Climate Compass Task Force