Remote Sensing-Based Assessment of the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of the Ecological Sustainability of Agricultural Landscapes in Northern Benin

Assessing ecological sustainability in agricultural landscapes requires approaches that integrate land-cover change, its ecological effects, and their spatial determinants. This study analysed changes between 2023 and 2024 across 6 agricultural landscapes in northern Benin using the Landscape Ecological Sustainability Index (LESI), calculated for 1-km² landscape cells from Human Disturbance Coefficients (HDCs) assigned to satellite-derived land-cover classes. Spatio-temporal dynamics were assessed using ΔLESI, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Global Moran's I, and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA). The contribution of land-cover transitions to HDC change was quantified, and univariate regression models examined the relationships between LESI variations and 11 biophysical and geographical variables. Ecological sustainability declined in 4 sites, improved slightly in one, and remained relatively stable in another. Significant spatial autocorrelation was detected in all sites (Moran's I = 0.44–0.65; p < 0.001). Some spatially limited transitions exerted important effects on HDC change. The low explanatory power of the univariate models (R² ≤ 0.081) indicates that no single variable independently explains the observed changes. This integrated framework provides a reproducible approach for assessing, mapping, and prioritising ecological sustainability trajectories from remote sensing data to support evidence-based agricultural landscape planning and sustainable land management.