Recovery of Forest Land Due to Forest Landscape Restoration Following Restriction of Mining Activities in the Northern Part of Amani Nature Forest Reserve, Tanga, Tanzania

Forest landscape restoration plays a pivotal role in preserving global biodiversity and enhancing human well-being by addressing social, economic, and ecological challenges. However, illegal mining activities pose significant threats to biodiversity hotspots, including the Amani Nature Forest Reserve (ANFR). This study evaluated forest recovery progress following the enforcement of restrictions against illegal mining in the northern part of ANFR, Tanga, Tanzania. Landsat images from 2000, 2017, and 2023 were analyzed using supervised image classification with the Random Forest algorithm on Google Earth Engine. The Results showed notable land cover transitions. In 2000, the area comprised 14.56% Closed Forest, 35.64% Open Forest, 23.91% mining, and 25.89% Cropland. By 2023, the proportion shifted to 65.77% Closed Forest, 14.37% Open Forest, 12.02% Mining, and 7.83% Cropland. Classification accuracy exceeded 80%, with Kappa coefficients above 75% for all periods, indicating substantial agreement and reliability of the classification process. Findings revealed a significant recovery of Closed Forests, replacing Open Forests, Mining, and Cropland, albeit with spatial and temporal variations. Recovery remains slow in persistent mining-affected areas. The study recommends targeted interventions such as enrichment planting and stricter law enforcement in areas with slow recovery. Further research and monitoring, including advanced technologies such as LiDAR and hyper-spectral imaging, are essential to enhance restoration efforts, sustain biodiversity, and ensure the long-term resilience of ANFR