| Research Abstract |
In this work, we have shown that GIS analyses of remote-sensing data (LANDSAT, NOAA/AVHRR.SAR, etc), combined with other digitized data from hardcopy maps or station observational records or statistics (climatic or census data), provide a strong analytical tool and a suitable decision support system for sustainable management of environmental resources (land cover/use, etc) or for sound assessment of changes in the eco-climatic system. Our main contribution can be summarized as follows.
From the combination of these data, we built a unique and diversified African Database, from which a new Digital Vegetation Model (DVM) of Africa was calculated using the first PCA component of the 5-year mean monthly NDVI and Thermal Bands data. Some important land-cover change ratterns were detected, especially over the arid lands South of Sahara. Population distribution map from Congolese census data show a tendency of overgrowing urbanization and population concentration within the E-W 410° S band an
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d along the eastern border in the Kivu highlands. These are also areas where tremendous forests decrease is shown to happen, in relation with this overgrowing urbanization and such informal landuse practices as shifting cultivation, fuel wood collection and large-scaleannual bush fires. Raster African Climatic Maps were obtained for all the continent, as well as for Kenya and Congo in particular, using from our African DVM and observational station data for temperature and rainfall, after Koeppen's method, updating old paper maps built from observational data alone. Wildlife Habitat Suitability modeling over Africa, and the Kruger National Park in particular, yields a Habitat Suitability Mar for this well-conserved wildlife sanctuary, with higher suitability in the southern and eastern lowlands, versus lower values over the northern and western highlands.
From our new Digital Vegetation Model (DVM) of the World we reveal that 3 countries alone (Brazil, Indonesia and Congo) encompass for themselves more than 51% of the world evergreen trotical rainforests. And that, at the present depletion rates, Congo would probably remain the lone custodian of tropical rainforests by the end of this century. Less
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