The Greater Virunga land cover change dataset covers an area of 39062km2 and mapped with both dichotomous (8 land cover classes) and modular (up to 32 land cover classes) levels based on FAO's Land Cover Classification System (LCCS). High-resolution optical satellite imagery were used to generate dense time-series data from which the thematic land cover change map was derived (2019). The map was fully verified and validated by an independent team to achieve the Copernicus Global Land Monitoring Programme's strict data quality requirements. An independent validation dataset was also collected and it is shared here. The validation dataset contains 2998 verified land cover points based on the [up to] 14 aggregated land cover change classes. Furthermore, two predefined symbology (QGIS legend files) for the land cover and validation datasets based on FAO's LCCS is also shared here to ease the visualization of them (Dichotomous and Modular levels). Further details regarding the sites selection, mapping and validation procedures are described in the corresponding publication: Szantoi, Zoltan; Brink, Andreas; Lupi, Andrea (2021): An update and beyond: key landscapes for conservation land cover and change monitoring, thematic and validation datasets for the African, Caribbean and Pacific region (in review, [Earth System Science Data|https://www.earth-system-science-data.net/]).

Data format: vector (shapefile, polygon - LC/LCC dataset), vector (shapefile, point - validation dataset),Geographic Coordinate System (LC/LCC dataset): World Geodetic System 1984 (EPSG:4326) and its datum (EPSG:6326),Minimum mapping unit: 3ha for land cover and 0.5ha for land cover changeLand cover/change dataset attributes:[map_codeA] - dichotomous level,[map_code} - modular level,[class_name] - corresponding modular class name.Validation dataset attributes (not all are present):[plaus200X] - corresponding class for the change map (i.e. 2000), modular level[plaus200Xr] - corresponding class for the change map (i.e. 2000), aggregated classes[plaus20XX] - corresponding class for the land cover map (i.e. 2015), modular level[plaus20XXr] - corresponding class for the land cover map (i.e. 2015), aggregated classesThe naming of all attributes follow the same structure in all shapefiles - see Table 2 Dichotomous and Modular thematic land cover/use classes and in the "3.5 Validation dataset production" section in the corresponding publication.