The impacts of armed conflict on ecosystems are complex and difficult to assess due to restricted access to
affected areas during wartime making satellite remote sensing a useful tool for studying direct and indirect
effects of conflict on the landscape. The Imatong Central Forest Reserve (ICFR) in South Sudan together
with the nearby Dongotana Hills and the Agoro-Agu Forest Reserve (AFR) in Northern Uganda share a boundary
and encompass a biologically diverse montane ecosystem. This study used satellite data combined with
general human population trends to examine the impact of armed conflict and its outcome on similar forest
ecosystems both during and after hostilities have occurred. A Disturbance Index (DI) was used to investigate
the location and extent of forest cover loss and gain in three areas for two key time periods from mid-1980s
to 2001 and 2003 to 2010. Results indicate that the rate of forest recovery was significantly higher than the
rate of disturbance both during and after wartime in and around the ICFR and the net rate of forest cover
change remained largely unchanged for the two time periods. In contrast, the nearby Dongotana Hills experienced
relatively high rates of disturbance during both periods; however, post war period losses were largely
offset by some gains in forest cover. For the AFR in Uganda, the rate of forest recovery was much higher during
the second period, coinciding with the time people began leaving overcrowded camps. The diversity and
merging of floristic regions in a very narrow band around the Imatong Mountains makes this area biologically
distinct and of outstanding conservation importance; therefore, any future loss in forest cover is important to
monitor — particularly in South Sudan where large numbers of people continue to return following the 2005
peace agreement and the 2011 Referendum on Independence.