Vegetation cover and land use map of Africa based on satellite remote sensing

Abstract

The rate of degradation and depletion of natural resources in Africa has been accelerated as a result of the increasing population pressure. The lack of reliable quantitative and qualitative information on vegetation cover and land use at national and regional levels has been the major limiting factor in development planning, sustainable management of agriculture and forestry resources, the food security early warning systems, environmental monitoring as well as in biodiversity assessment and protection. The overall objective of the project is production of vegetation cover and land use map at 1:1 million for the whole of Africa and at 1:200 000 (91:250 000) for priority areas, based on satellite remote sensing and GIS.