Disentangling the landscape during armed conflicts and postpeace agreements: Clues from Colombia's Andes-Amazon region

Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2023 Mar;19(2):355-359. doi: 10.1002/ieam.4689. Epub 2022 Oct 14.

Abstract

The link between remote sensing and armed conflict processes has been evaluated through discrete landscape representations, deforestation, and static land cover maps. Yet, the landscape is dynamic-not discrete, and recognizing its evolution through armed conflict processes provides better-informed management and a more profound understanding of landscape dynamics. We must create continuous variables that provide compelling landscape representations that account for armed conflict processes as a driver of land cover and land-use change. Here, we present the advancements in monitoring landscape changes in Colombia from subannual forest change and annual land cover maps to elucidate illicit land use and habitat connectivity status. This evolution delivers critical elements to understanding the consequences of armed conflict processes on the environment. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:355-359. © 2022 SETAC.

Keywords: Armed conflict; Habitat connectivity; Land cover change; Landscape; Remote sensing.

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Armed Conflicts
  • Colombia
  • Conservation of Natural Resources*
  • Ecosystem*
  • Forests