Open Access

ARTICLE

Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Urban Tree Landscapes and the Determinants of Their Transformation in Kétou, Benin

Gildas N’tibouti Idakou, Abdel Aziz Osseni, Etienne Romaric Adéwalé Godonou, Gbodja Houéhanou François Gbesso^*

Unité de Recherche Horticole et d’Aménagement des Espaces Verts, Laboratoire des Sciences Végétales, Horticoles et Forestières, École d’Horticulture et d’Aménagement des Espaces Verts, Université Nationale d’Agriculture, Kétou, 229, Benin

* Corresponding Author: Gbodja Houéhanou François Gbesso. Email:

Revue Internationale de Géomatique 2025, 34, 259-275. https://doi.org/10.32604/rig.2025.064032

Received 02 February 2025; Accepted 27 April 2025; Issue published 23 May 2025

Abstract

Sustainable urban development nowadays requires the consideration of vegetation, particularly green spaces, for the well-being of the population and the quality of life. It is with this purpose a study was conducted in the city of Kétou, Benin, to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics of the wooded landscape and its influencing factors, with a view to sustainable urban planning. Using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems, Landsat TM, ETM, and OLI/TIRS satellite images were processed using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm in Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) 5.0 to assess land use changes from 2003 to 2023. A socio-economic survey was also carried out on a sample of seventy 70 residents to identify the causes of vegetation changes, their economic impacts, and residents’ perceptions. The results reveal six (06) types of land uses which are clear forests, wooded and shrub savannas, mosaics of culture and fallow, land under palm trees, watercourses and built-up areas. These uses have changed between 2003 and 2023, to the detriment of built-up areas, which saw a significant increase in their area, rising from 384 ha in 2003 to 1462 ha in 2013 and from 1462 to 2056 ha in 2023, an increase of (+1672 ha). This shows that the study area has been heavily urbanized. This dynamic is influenced by two (02) direct factors, namely: wood exploitation in various forms (80%) and urbanization (75.7%), and four indirect factors, namely: agriculture (44%), the collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), the commercialization of NTFPs and wood (timber and fuelwood) (12.85%), and crafts (11.42%). Despite the residents’ awareness of the environmental impact of vegetation destruction, they continue their actions. This highlights the need for the implementation of new sustainable management strategies, such as reasonable urbanization policies and agricultural methods adapted to the environment. This information remains a contribution to science, which policymakers should consider for the sustainable management of urban tree landscapes for the well-being of residents.

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Keywords

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