1Department of Agriculture Research Unit, Alcorn State University, MS 39096, U.S.A.
2Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, IA 50011, U.S.A.
3Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, AL 35762, U.S.A.
4Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jackson State University, MS 39211, U.S.A.
5Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Oakwood University, AL 35896, U.S.A.
*Email: yaw@alcorn.edu
Online published on 7 December, 2012.
This study uses Landsat data and Tasseled Cap Transformation green vegetation index (GVI) technique to assess the condition of rangeland resources in the Sahel region of West Africa. Three representative zones in the sahelian region of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger were selected for this study. Satellite data covering fifteen years period was used to assess the extent to which rangeland resources have degraded on a country by country basis between 1984 and 1999. The study results show all three countries in the study area experienced vegetation decline. However, loss of vegetation cover was most pronounced in the northern part of the study area than in the south. This decline could be attributed to changing temperature and rainfall gradients.
Sahel, remote sensing, rangeland, overgrazing, environmental degradation
