## 5 Discussion  
### Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Forested Areas  
Dakar, the capital of Senegal, is a rapidly expanding metropolitan city in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Consequently, the rapid urban sprawl of Dakar has resulted in the expansion of the Thies region, situated 70 km away from Dakar. Since 2007, the Thies region has been known for hosting significant socio-economic development projects. Additionally, in the department of Tivaouane (northern Thies region), notable land investments have been observed since 1960 with the establishment of the Chemical Industries of Senegal (ICS), which exploits phosphate resources on land traditionally used for habitation and agropastoral tradition. Since then, the number of mining companies operating in the Thies region has increased exponentially. Presently, approximately nineteen companies (not an exhaustive list) are located in the northern and central parts of the Thies region. The results of this study indicate that the difference in the transfer in and out of bare land regarding forested areas was about \(-138.39\) km\({}^{2}\) between 2005 and 2020. In essence, a considerable \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{5}{c}{**The Forested Area’s Dominant Morphology**} \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Potential Driving Factors**} & **Patch Density** & **Largest Patch Index** & **Aggregation Index** & **Landscape Shape** \\  & **(PD.)** & **(LPI)** & **(AL)** & **Index (LSI)** \\ \hline Intercept & 0.592628 & 0.19734 & 0.192765 & 0.175783 \\ \hline Population density (X1) & 0.343306 & 0.667903 & 0.779602 & 0.593753 \\ \hline Agricultural add value (X2) & 0.229883 & 0.719511 & 0.465302 & 0.041496 ** \\ \hline Manufactural add value (X3) & 0.188335 & 0.032147 ** & 0.016104 ** & 0.010387 ** \\ \hline Rainfall (X4) & 0.139507 & 0.018172 ** & 0.221916 & 0.032033 ** \\ \hline Temperature (X5) & 0.955665 & 0.239073 & 0.359519 & 0.342206 \\ \hline Elevation (X6) & 0.06503 * & 0.584645 & 0.504127 & 0.809186 \\ \hline Slope (X7) & 0.959089 & 0.032493 ** & 0.000837 *** & 0.00358 *** \\ \hline Distance to road (X8) & 0.720532 & 0.842969 & 0.974141 & 0.007938 *** \\ \hline Vegetation Index (X9) & 0.623425 & 0.211893 & 0.473435 & 0.120847 \\ \hline Agricultural land evolution (X10) & 0.4431 & 0.823174 & 0.05894 ** & 0.401954 \\ \hline \multicolumn{5}{c}{\({}^{*}p<0.1\), ** \(p<0.05\), *** \(p<0.01\).} \\ \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Regression analysis results for forested areas’ morphology and driving factors. loss of forested areas can be attributed to the negative impacts of urbanization and mining activities. Rapid urban population growth without efficient land use management may lead to inadequate housing and negatively impact forested areas [57]. The Thies region had approximately 1,788,864 inhabitants in 2013, with a projected increase to 2,464,554 inhabitants by 2025 (ANSD). In 2017, the Dakar region accounted for 39.5% of Senegal's economic units, while the Thies and Diourbel regions accounted for 11.5% and 9.9%, respectively [58]. Regarding the role of the Thies region in Senegal's economy, the decline in and degradation of forested areas can significantly impact both present and future ecosystem value. Crop rotation is essential for implementing ecological civilization policies [3]. A previous study in the Thies region, based on survey data from 2022, highlighted that approximately 42% of respondents had not changed their crops in the last five years [59]. Monoculture not only impacts agricultural land, but also makes forested areas more fragile. Therefore, implementing agricultural policy reform and redesigning biodiversity conservation practices must go hand in hand. In Senegal, extensive livestock breeding provides income to alleviate poverty and mitigate low agricultural production. In addition, by 2030, urban beef consumption is projected to grow by more than 361% in low-income countries, including Senegal. Feeding livestock remains one of the most critical challenges in Senegal.