Caractérisation de la dynamique de l'occupation du sol en zone urbaine et périurbaine de la ville du Cap-Haïtien (Haïti) de 1986 à 2017

• Main Authors: Waselin Salomon, Yannick Useni Sikuzani, Akoua Tamia Madeleine Kouakou, Sylvestre Cabala Kaleba, Jean-Paul Barthelemy, Jan Bogaert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux 2020-03-01
• Series: Tropicultura
• Subjects: urbanization; anthropization; urban-rural gradient; landscape ecology; cap-haïtien

The city of Cap- Haïtien in the north of Haiti, with a population that doubles every 20 years, records a rapid built-up expansion associated with the regression of its vegetation cover. Based on the interpretation of Landsat images of 1986, 2003 and 2017, land cover dynamics were evidenced through a mapping approach combined with analysis tools of landscape ecology. Data show that the built-up area in the city of Cap-Haïtien increases threefold in three decades mainly at the expense of agricultural areas and degraded vegetation. The area of woody vegetation has been reduced by half in favor of agricultural areas, and degraded vegetation, but also of built-up areas to a lesser extent. Structural dynamics, supported by important population growth in the (peri)urban zone and agricultural development in the rural zone, have been characterized by the creation of anthropogenic patches (built-up, agricultural areas and degraded vegetation) as opposed to the dissection of the woody vegetation. Our results highlight the need to develop urgently a sustainable and adequate urban development plan to reverse these trends.