LANDSCAPE DYNAMICS IN A TRANSITIONAL FOREST-SAVANNAH ZONE IN COTE D'IVOIRE

The dynamics over time of forests in a forest-savannah transition zone in the Tanda district in eastern Cote d'Ivoire were determined from a diachronic analysis of two satellite images of the Landsat TM 1986 and Landsat ETM+ 2000 types, with verification through field visits. The results show that in 2000, forests covered 29 % of the study zone as opposed to 73 % in 1986, with an increase in savannah zones as forest areas recede. Dense forests are more severely affected by habitat loss, having receded by 83 % during the study period. The spatial dynamics of the landscape, as characterised by structural indices, reveal a process in which patches of savannah become established and encroach upon woodland patches that are undergoing a process of suppression. Overall, the study zone has been substantially transformed, essentially by farming and population pressures.