Análisis de la expansión de la frontera agrícola en el área circundante a la laguna de tota (boyacá) durante el periodo 2016-2025 mediante el uso de imágenes multiespectrales planetscope

Abstract

The expansion of the agricultural frontier is one of the main pressures on high-Andean ecosystems and has generated significant transformations in the Laguna de Tota basin, one of the most important lake systems in Colombia. The objective of this research was to analyze the expansion of the agricultural frontier surrounding Laguna de Tota (Boyacá) during the period 2016–2025 using PlanetScope multispectral imagery. To this end, a multitemporal analysis based on PlanetScope images was implemented, complemented by Sentinel-2 imagery to cover dates with data availability limitations, such as 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. The images were processed and classified using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm, applying the Corine Land Cover methodology adapted to Colombia and validating the results through confusion matrices and the Kappa coefficient. Subsequently, transition matrices and band algebra were applied to identify land cover changes and locate the sectors with the greatest agricultural pressure. The results showed that agricultural expansion has occurred mainly over grassland areas and, to a lesser extent, over forest cover, reflecting a progressive landscape transformation and a decrease in natural cover. Likewise, sectors with high agricultural pressure were identified in areas adjacent to the lake ecosystem. The study demonstrates the potential of PlanetScope imagery and supervised classification for monitoring land cover changes, providing spatial information useful for territorial planning and environmental management of the Laguna de Tota basin.