Abstract:
Fundamentally, land cover change reflects human activities and geophysical processes in time and space and is a major variable in ecosystems dynamics. Understanding land use and land cover impacts is greatly enhanced by undertaking land use analysis. This chapter discusses some conceptual issues, the major drivers of land use and their ecological impacts in tropical environments. The role of modern satellite remote sensing technology in land-cover analysis and the technical challenges for land-cover mapping in tropical environments are also explained. To minimize ecological impacts of land use, the chapter recommends a collaborative approach to future research in the field of land-use/land cover analysis, as the motivation for sustainable land management in tropical regions.