<![CDATA[Land cover change on Sumatra Island has accelerated rapidly over recent decades, marked by extensive tropical forest deforestation, widespread peatland degradation, and increasing disaster occurrences. Spatio-temporal analysis using multi-temporal satellite data provides valuable insights into the trajectories of vegetation cover change in this region. This study synthesizes findings on patterns of forest conversion to other land uses (plantations, agriculture, and infrastructure), as well as vegetation recovery patterns following fire events, particularly in peatland areas. The results reveal several dominant change trajectories: (1) deforestation followed by conversion to agricultural and plantation land, (2) cyclical changes in plantation forests, including planting, harvesting, and replanting phases, and (3) natural secondary regeneration on abandoned land after deforestation. Furthermore, in cases where deforestation is driven by land and forest fires, fire frequency plays a significant role in shaping vegetation succession pathways. Areas burned only once are able to recover toward near-original conditions after several years, whereas areas subjected to repeated fires exhibit slower recovery and tend to be dominated by shrub vegetation. These findings highlight the importance of sustainable landscape management informed by spatio-temporal data, including controlling deforestation and restoring peatlands through rewetting and vegetation rehabilitation, to prevent further degradation and support long-term ecosystem recovery.]]>
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