Multitemporal study of urban growth and agricultural area in the Durán canton

In this research conducts a multitemporal land use and land cover (LULC) classification analysis for the Durán Canton, Ecuador, spanning the period from 2000 to 2023. The study utilizes Landsat 7 ETM+ and 8 OLI/TIRS satellite sensors alongside Digital Elevation Models (DEM) to evaluate landscape transformations driven by urban expansion and agricultural activities. The methodology was implemented using QGIS software and the Semi-Automatic Classification Plugin (SCP), adopting the CCI-ESA Land Cover classification system. Data preprocessing involved atmospheric correction via the Chávez method (DOS1) and topographic correction through the non-Lambertian Minnaert method to ensure spectral accuracy across the scenes. Results indicate a sustained increase in the urban area, growing from 4.17 in 2000 to 7.87 in 2015, and reaching 12.20 by 2023. Conversely, tree cover and grasslands experienced a significant reduction of approximately 20.59, reflecting the intense anthropocentric pressure on local ecosystems. The classification accuracy was validated through the Kappa index, yielding values of 0.8046 for 2000, 0.8187 for 2015, and 0.7899 for 2023, confirming the reliability of the supervised classification methods, specifically minimum distance and spectral angle mapping. The research concludes that unplanned urban sprawl is the primary driver of landscape fragmentation in the coastal region. These findings highlight the urgent necessity for evidence-based territorial planning policies to mitigate natural cover loss and promote sustainable land use management within the canton.