![]() Finally, larger forest patches harbour a denser tree cover and higher trees as they may be less impacted by human pressures. Forest loss and gain are greater across fragments lying in more modified landscapes of secondary forests, while forest loss increases with distance to roads. Greening is widespread in larger secondary fragments possibly due to regrowth from land abandonment and migration to urban areas. In 1975 most patches were mapped as secondary, degraded forests, savanna, woodland, and mangrove, and relatively few comprised cropland, settlements, and agriculture, suggesting that new forest patches rarely emerged from arable land over the past 45 years (1975–2020), but rather are remnants of previously forested landscapes. ![]() Primary forest patches are scarce and underwent fewer losses, as they may be less accessible. However, on average, larger patches experience more loss than smaller ones, suggesting that small patches persist in the landscape. We find that most fragments are small, secondary forest patches and these cumulatively underwent the most forest loss. Appended to each patch are descriptive and change dynamics attributes. We map forests patches outside protected areas with a tree cover ≥30%, a tree height of ≥5 m, an area ≥1 km 2 and ≤10 km 2. Specifically, we collate and analyse descriptive and change metrics to provide estimates of fragment size, age, biophysical conditions, and relation to social-ecological change drivers, which together provide novel insights into forest fragment change dynamics for over four decades. The aim of this study is therefore to inventory and characterise the current extent and change of remnant forest patches of West Africa, using multi-source remote sensing products, time-series analyses, and ancillary datasets. Indeed, recognizing their existence will help ensure their continued provision of ecosystem services while facilitating their conservation and sustainable use. ![]() As such, there is an urgent need to map and monitor these remnant forest patches/fragments and so identify their multiple benefits and values. The rate of tropical deforestation is increasing globally, and the fragmentation of remaining forests is particularly high in arable landscapes of West Africa. ![]()
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