Spatio-temporal dynamics of land use-land cover change in Bimbia Bonadikombo community forest, Cameroon (1995 - 2025)

Abstract

This study assessed the trend, rate, and extent of land use/land cover (LULC) change in the Bimbia–Bonadikombo Community Forest (BBCF) from 1995 to 2025, focusing on five classes: dense forest, secondary forest, cropland, settlements/bare soil, and water bodies. Data were derived from Landsat imagery (1995–2025) and supported by ground-truth observations. The results show a sharp decline in dense forest cover from 93.27% to 47.95%, indicating significant forest degradation. In contrast, cropland expanded markedly, peaking at 18.29% in 2015 before slightly declining, while secondary forest increased substantially from 3.83% to 30.20%. Settlements and bare surfaces also grew from 0.57% to 8.02%, reflecting rising human pressure, whereas water bodies remained minimal and slightly declined. Overall, the findings reveal a clear transition from dense forest to human-modified land uses driven by agriculture, logging, and other activities, highlighting the need for sustainable land-use planning and strengthened co-management strategies in the BBCF.