Assessing Land use Dynamics and Sustainable Management Options in and around the Mount Manengouba Herpetological Sanctuary, Cameroon

Abstract

Montane ecosystems are increasingly threatened by land-use and land-cover changes driven by agricultural expansion, resource extraction, demographic pressure, and other human activities, with important implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning. The Mount Manengouba Herpetological Sanctuary (MMHS) represents an important biodiversity landscape in Cameroon, but its surrounding areas are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic pressures. This study assessed the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) in and around the MMHS between 1979 and 2018, examined the major drivers of vegetation-cover change, and identified sustainable management options for reducing landscape degradation. Multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery, comprising Landsat 3 MSS (1979), Landsat 7 ETM+ (2001), and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS (2018), was processed using image pre-processing, false-colour composite interpretation, supervised Maximum Likelihood classification, post-classification filtering, and field-based accuracy assessment using 78 GPS ground-truth points complemented by Google Earth imagery. Land-cover transitions were quantified using a transition matrix, while semi-structured interviews, household surveys, and direct field observations were used to identify the socioeconomic drivers of landscape change. The results revealed substantial transformation characterised by agricultural expansion, forest degradation, fragmentation, and partial natural regeneration. Agricultural plantations increased from 44.33% in 1979 to 53.52% in 2001 before declining slightly to 47.25% in 2018, while primary forest increased from 10.08% to 12.52% over the study period. In contrast, secondary forest declined from 21.78% in 1979 to 9.85% in 2018, demonstrating its high vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance. Transition analysis showed substantial exchanges between forest and cultivated land, including the conversion of 2,252 ha of secondary forest to cultivated fields between 1979 and 2001, although localised regeneration also occurred. Agriculture was the leading driver of vegetation-cover reduction (40.98%), followed by firewood collection (31.69%), NTFP harvesting (23.50%), and grazing (3.83%). Although natural regeneration and fallowing contributed to partial forest recovery, these processes remained insufficient to offset long-term habitat degradation and fragmentation. The study concludes that continued anthropogenic pressure is reshaping the MMHS into an increasingly heterogeneous and ecologically fragile landscape. The study recommends strengthening agroforestry and ecological intensification, promoting participatory forest restoration and community-based conservation, reducing dependence on forest resources through alternative energy sources, and implementing integrated land-use planning and long-term LULC monitoring to reconcile biodiversity conservation with local livelihood needs.