RESEARCH ARTICLE IMPACT OF MINING ACTIVITIES ON FOREST COVER LOSS IN THE CAVALLY RIVER WATERSHED

This study assesses the impact of mining activities on land use and vegetation cover degradation through the analysis of satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel-2) over several years (1994, 2004, 2014, and 2024). The methodology used is supervised classification using the maximum likelihood algorithm. The results reveal a significant decline in vegetation cover ( approximately 25%), accompanied by an increase in agricultural land (+18%), residential areas (+9%), and bare soils (+5%), reflecting accelerated anthropogenic pressure on the landscape. The classification accuracy, confirmed by Kappa coefficients ranging from 0.81 to 0.94 and overall accuracy between 86% and 94.4%, supports the reliability of the analyses. These spatial dynamics demonstrate a significant environmental impact of mining operations, with direct effects on natural ecosystems and indirect consequences related to urban expansion and land tenure pressures. The findings underscore the urgent need for sustainable land management strategies, including ecological restoration and effective regulation of mining expansion, to safeguard the environmental balance of affected areas.