Copernicus Data for Mapping Shifting Cultivation Dynamics in Conservation Areas of Mozambique

Shifting cultivation systems are key for sustaining the food security of rural populations across Africa. Simultaneously, shifting cultivation is driving the clearing of natural vegetation and related environmental trade-offs, such as adverse impacts on biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. Maintaining a balance between rightful land use for semi-subsistence agriculture on the one hand, and biodiversity conservation on the other hand is not trivial because knowledge on the dynamics of shifting cultivation systems remains scarce. This is particularly the case in designated conservation areas and their buffer zones, which are oftentimes biodiversity hotspots where rapid agricultural expansion can severely undermine conservation efforts. This project aims at developing a transferable workflow to improve our knowledge of shifting cultivation dynamics across three protected areas in Mozambique. Based on time series of Copernicus satellite imagery and state-of-the-art machine learning, we will map yearly indicators of active and fallow cropland extent, and woody vegetation cover. The resulting maps will enable unique insights on the intensity, cyclicity, and trajectories of shifting cultivation and related vegetation clearing and recovery processes over a period of 10 years, which are relevant to maintain a balance between food security on the one hand, and biodiversity conservation on the other hand.