Spatiotemporal Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the City of Beira, Mozambique, Between 2014 and 2024

Objective: To analyze land use and land cover changes in the city of Beira, Mozambique, between 2014 and 2024 based on remote sensing data. Originality/value: This study contributes to the understanding of urban landscape dynamics in a region vulnerable to extreme weather events, providing support for sustainable urban planning and environmental preservation. Method: A quantitative approach was adopted through the analysis of Landsat 8 satellite images obtained from the USGS database. Supervised classification was performed using the Maximum Likelihood algorithm in QGIS 3.12.3 software. The areas were categorized into four main classes: inhabited zones, vegetation, exposed soil, and water bodies. Results: The data revealed a significant increase in inhabited zones, from 34.05% to 38.95%, reflecting the intensification of urbanization. Vegetation showed a sharp decline, from 34.14% to 17.31%, indicating human pressure on ecosystems. Exposed soil increased from 29.04% to 39.90%, evidencing environmental degradation. Water bodies showed a slight increase, from 1.77% to 3.84%, possibly related to floods and extreme climate events. Conclusion: The city of Beira underwent significant changes in land use and land cover between 2014 and 2024, driven by rapid urbanization and extreme climatic events. The results highlight the importance of sustainable urban planning and the use of remote sensing as a key tool for environmental management.