Mapping hydropower expansion and cash crop dynamics in Colombia using Landsat time series

Abstract

Satellite-based monitoring provides insights on synergies and trade-offs between energy production and land use and land cover (LULC) changes (LULCC) around hydropower dams. Using Landsat data, we mapped LULCC related to hydropower expansion to understand change dynamics of cash crop production in the Magdalena River basin (Colombian Andes). We leveraged secondary map products and an active learning routine to produce thematically detailed LULC maps, for 2009, 2015, and 2020, including key cash crops (rice and oil palm). Our area-adjusted accuracy assessment revealed high overall and class-specific user’s and producer’s accuracies, exceeding 80% for oil palm, rice, non-agricultural vegetation, wetlands, and grasslands, and accuracies of ∼60% for other temporary and permanent crops. We identified substantial losses of rice (10,6%) and grasslands (25,9%) in El Quimbo due to reservoir flooding. For Hidrosogamoso, there was a loss of wetlands downstream. Our products provide the basis for balancing social, economic, and environmental trade-offs related to conflicting land uses.

Keywords:

• active learning
• Colombian Andes
• Google Earth Engine
• hydropower dams
• land use and land cover (LULC)
• water-energy-food nexus

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the project ‘Water Security for Whom’, a collaboration between Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil). The project is funded by VolkswagenStiftung as part of the initiative ‘Global Issues – Integrating Different Perspectives on Social Inequality’ (project n. 96955). The authors would like to thank the ‘Water Security for Whom’ team, and the agricultural federations Federación Nacional de Arroceros (FEDEARROZ), Federación Nacional de Cultivadores de Palma de Aceite (FEDEPALMA), Federación Nacional de Cacaoteros (FEDECACAO) and Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia for meetings and checkings on the LULC maps during the fieldwork in Huila and Santander departments in Colombia in 2023. PR acknowledges funding by the F.R.S.-FNRS, grant no. T.0154.21.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the project ‘Water Security for Whom’, a collaboration between Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil). The project is funded by VolkswagenStiftung as part of the initiative ‘Global Issues – Integrating Different Perspectives on Social Inequality’ (project n. 96955). The authors would like to thank the ‘Water Security for Whom’ team, and the agricultural federations Federación Nacional de Arroceros (FEDEARROZ), Federación Nacional de Cultivadores de Palma de Aceite (FEDEPALMA), Federación Nacional de Cacaoteros (FEDECACAO) and Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia for meetings and checkings on the LULC maps during the fieldwork in Huila and Santander departments in Colombia in 2023. PR acknowledges funding by the F.R.S.-FNRS, grant no. T.0154.21.

Notes on contributors

Caroline Salomão

Caroline Salomão contributed to Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing- Original draft preparation. Jonas Alsleben contributed to Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing-Review & Editing. Philippe Rufin contributed to Methodology, Writing-Review & Editing. Patrick Hostert contributed to Conceptualization, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision.

Jonas Alsleben

Caroline Salomão contributed to Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing- Original draft preparation. Jonas Alsleben contributed to Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing-Review & Editing. Philippe Rufin contributed to Methodology, Writing-Review & Editing. Patrick Hostert contributed to Conceptualization, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision.

Philippe Rufin

Caroline Salomão contributed to Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing- Original draft preparation. Jonas Alsleben contributed to Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing-Review & Editing. Philippe Rufin contributed to Methodology, Writing-Review & Editing. Patrick Hostert contributed to Conceptualization, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision.

Patrick Hostert

Caroline Salomão contributed to Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing- Original draft preparation. Jonas Alsleben contributed to Methodology, Data curation, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing-Review & Editing. Philippe Rufin contributed to Methodology, Writing-Review & Editing. Patrick Hostert contributed to Conceptualization, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision.