This study investigates land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the northern Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine between 2017 and 2024 using Sentinel-2 satellite data. Sentinel-2 Level-2A surface-reflectance imagery was processed into seasonally consistent composites and spectral indices, and wall-to-wall classifications for 2017 and 2024 were produced using a Support Vector Machine classifier with independent accuracy assessment. Post-classification comparison yielded spatially explicit transition maps and identified persistent change hotspots across the study area.
The outputs reveal broad areas of stable cover alongside spatially structured processes, including conversions between cultivated land, fallow/grassland and successional vegetation, as well as localized peri-urban expansion. Implications for regional monitoring, land-management prioritisation and targeted field verification are discussed. The study is expected to be of interest to specialists in remote sensing, regional planning and landscape change assessment in heterogeneous foothill environments.
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