Impacts on the Urban Environment: Land Cover Change Trajectories and Landscape Fragmentation in Post-War Western Area, Sierra Leone

Urban Farm DB summary

This research analyzed land cover change (LCC) dynamics in Sierra Leone's Western Area from 1976 to 2011 using satellite imagery, covering pre-conflict, conflict, and post-conflict periods. The study found a rapid increase in built-up land and urban/peri-urban agriculture over 35 years. During the war (1976-2000), urban agriculture became a key livelihood for displaced persons, while post-war housing demands further drove land use changes. A significant finding was that landscape fragmentation increased alongside declining forest cover, with built-up areas aggregating.