Changements de la couverture forestière dans l'île d'Anjouan entre 1995 et 2014

Agriculture production linked to population growth is one of the main motors of forest degradation in the World. In the Union of the Comoros, deforestation is particularly attributed to slash-and-burn farming as well as cultures in the forest and other uses of the forest such as charcoal production. In recent times, very few statistic and cartographic information is known concerning the spatiotemporal evolution of Comorian forests. The aim of this study is to highlight the changes in the forest cover by the use of high resolution spatial satellite images, on the period of 1995 to 2014, on the Isle of Anjouan: the most affected by the deforestation phenomena. The analysis of the results showed that from 1995 to 2014, the dense forests of Anjouan diminished by 7311 hectares at a rate of 8% per year. Linking the original anthropogenic factors and land-use maps show that the dynamics of the land-use are due to multiple factors like the rapid growth of the population. More and more pressure is applied on the lands due to the increased demands of agricultural products. Mots-clés :Ile d’Anjouan, Télédétection, occupation des sols, Pression agricole.