P. Azinwi Tamfuh^{1, 2,}, E. Ndah Musi¹, S.C. Nguemhe Fils³, K.I. Ateh¹, A.B. Aye¹, E. Tata¹, L. E. Mamdem⁴, B. Kenzong², G. D. Kouankap Nono⁵, Dieudonné Bitom²

Artisanal mining is often associated with land use and land cover (LULC) changes like deforestation, open pits, health hazards, heavy metals contamination of land, land degradation, dust and noise pollution, soil instability, climate change, etc. This research aims to monitor LULC changes between 2018 and 2022 in East Cameroon due to artisanal gold mining activities, assessing the dynamics between LULC change types and the extent of change with time. Sentinel-2 images for 2018, 2020, and 2022 were used to examine LULC patterns at per-pixel scale with a post-classification change detection technique based on a cross matrix of changes. Supervised classification was carried using maximum likelihood algorithm of five LULC classes (bare land, vegetation, water bodies, settlements and mining activities). The results revealed spatio-temporal change patterns that have taken place in Betare-Oya. It was observed that the area under mining activities has increased from 2042.32 ha in 2018 to 3197.03 in 2020 and experienced a sharp decline to 2008.72 ha in 2022 probably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; with an overall percentage change from 3.95 % to 6.18 % and 3.89 % for 2018, 2020 and 2022, respectively. Also, results showed the change in vegetation from 21718.36 ha in 2018 to 16189.78 ha in 2020. In 2022, vegetation slightly increased to 16563.88 ha as a result of the fluctuation in mining activities, showing an inverse interaction between mining activities and vegetation. This study emphasizes the usefulness of Sentinel-2 data and highlights the data processing methods for long-term monitoring of the impacts of artisanal mining activities on the environment. This research will add to already existing database on LULC changes in Cameroon as a result of mining activities.

Sentinel-2 Imagery, LULC changes, artisanal mining, Spatio-Temporal maps, East Cameroon