Charcoal production in the tropical woodlands of southern Mozambique leads to land cover changes—the case of Combomune

This study, conducted in Combomune, Mozambique, investigated land use and land cover changes (LULCC) from 2002 to 2021 and their causes, utilizing Landsat satellite imagery and the land change modeler (LCM). The research mapped vegetation changes and analysed identified explanatory variables. Sentinel-2 imagery was employed to identify charcoal production sites during 2016-2021. The findings indicate significant landscape transformations, with a 20.4% reduction in open forest area (approx. 126,000 ha) and an increase of 22.2% in Shrub (approx. 138,500 ha). Key explanatory variables include proximity to rivers influencing the transition of the class open forest to shrub and proximity to villages influencing the transition of open forest to agriculture and others. Despite these changes, the agriculture and others class exhibited minimal variation compared to open forest and shrub, likely due to a low agricultural productivity influenced by semiarid conditions and poor soil quality. Sentinel-2 imagery revealed numerous burned areas within open forests, suggesting that charcoal production is the primary driver of forest degradation. This finding is consistent with statements from key informants and previous studies that highlight the role of charcoal production in altering forest structure and reducing biomass. The study underscores the urgent need for sustainable forest management practices to mitigate resource depletion related to charcoal production and enhance community resilience against environmental challenges.