|
AUTHOR(S): Titilope Funmbi Onaolapo, Abel Ramoelo, Philemon Tsele, Emma Archer
|
TITLE |
 PDF |
ABSTRACT Land use and cover change (LULCC) are critical global issues and a significant driver of biodiversity loss and imbalance in mountain ecosystems. Mountains are usually rich in biodiversity and can provide a wide range of ecosystem services with multifunctional benefits for human well-being. South Africa, one of the world's most biodiverse countries, has the majority of its mountain areas facing challenges such as biodiversity loss, uncontrolled development, and land degradation, frequently resulting in economic loss and an unsustainable environment. This study aims to understand current knowledge and identify the gaps in the research on LULCC, biodiversity, and mountain ecosystems. Notable keywords such as LULCC, biodiversity, mountain ecosystem, conservation, and agriculture were used in the search engine. Abstracts and references were analyzed, and literature and citations with high frequency were identified. The study used data from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. Between 2000 and 2023, 1937 publications were analyzed. Top authors, journals, and relevant categories were discussed. The study found that Remote Sensing journals have the highest number of published articles, with 124 publications providing significant contributions to the study. The analysis highlighted gaps in the need to focus on research on remote sensing applications for mapping and monitoring species variation, regenerative agriculture to improve biodiversity and urban development, and collaborative research in mountain biodiversity management. The discussion focuses on the need for African countries' involvement in this research. Finally, mapping, monitoring, evaluation, and increased awareness can help sustain mountain biodiversity and ecosystem development and avert future environmental problems. |
KEYWORDS biodiversity, climate change, mountain ecosystem, land use land cover change, remote sensing |
|
Cite this paper Titilope Funmbi Onaolapo, Abel Ramoelo, Philemon Tsele, Emma Archer. (2025) Current Knowledge and Research Gap in Land Use Land Cover Changes and Biodiversity of Mountain Ecosystem: A Bibliometric Review. International Journal of Environmental Science, 10, 41-59 |
|
