Multi-Temporal Landsat Remote Sensing for Forest Landscape Fragmentation Analysis in the Yoko Forest, Kisangani, DRC

This study assessed the impact of human activities on deforestation and sustainability of water resources and livelihoods in the Congo Basin. It mainly aimed to assess forest degradation in the Yoko reserve from 1976 to 2015 and investigate the compatibility of Landsat imagery for forest monitoring. Digital Image processing for unsupervised classification was done using ENVI software while supervised classification was done by means of ArcGIS 10. Results show that forest landscape faced large scale human induced fragmentation over the last 40 years. If these trends continue, they will affect the sustainability of water resources and livelihoods in the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hence, policy makers need to look at key drivers and address impacts that may threaten the future of Hydrological Ecosystems Services, including water and land resources in the Congo Basin. Authorities have to apply an Integrated Management of Water, Land and Ecosystems.