Multitemporal analysis (1940–1996) of land cover changes in the southwestern Bogotá highplain (Colombia)

The study of the temporal changes of spatial patterns in cultural landscapes is important to understand the underlying factors and the functional effects. This paper addresses a multitemporal analysis of land cover and use changes during 56 years (1940–1996) in part of the Bogotá highplain, based on two study sites. The study used black and white aerial photography, fieldwork and GIS. The changes in natural forest area found are small, with opposite trends in the study sites (1.2 and −0.4 per year). The plantation forests have been steadily increasing in both sites. The area of crop and pasture covers show opposite complementary trends. The remnant forest patches are located in the steeper topographic conditions, and their persistence during the last 56 years is related to the use function assigned by landowners. It is suggested that the observed temporal changes and distributions of agricultural land covers are closely related to the historical events of Colombian macroeconomic policies.