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Forest loss, unbridled urbanisation, and the loss of arable lands have become contentious issues for the sustainable management of land. Landsat satellite images for 1986, 2003, 2013, and 2022, covering the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and its adjoining municipalities, were used to analyse the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes. The machine learning algorithm, Support Vector Machine (SVM), was used for the satellite image classification that led to the generation of the LULC maps. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalised Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) were analysed to assess the correlations between the indices. The image overlays of the forest and urban extents and the calculation of the annual deforestation rates were evaluated. The study revealed decreasing trends in forestlands, increased urban/built-up areas (similar to the image overlays), and a decline in agricultural lands. However, there was a negative relationship between the NDVI and NDBI. The results corroborate the pressing need for the assessment of LULC utilising satellite sensors. This paper contributes to the existing outlines for evolving land design for the promotion of sustainable land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghana is increasingly affected by climate change, increased soil aridity, demographic problems, and unfavourable environmental factors. In the context of conservation, protection and sustainable management, this study assessed the loss, gain and stable areas of vegetation cover in Ghana by considering four districts namely West Gonja and West Mamprusi; Sene and Afram Plains in two major ecological zones respectively (Guinea-savannah and Forest-savannah mosaic) to make a comparative study of their level and intensity of degradation. For this purpose, remote sensing (IMPACT toolbox), GIS and quantitative analysis (PontiusMatrix42) approaches were used and applied on Landsat ETM+, OLI TIRS and Sentinel 2B images (2001, 2011, 2021). The result shows that land uses land covers (LULCs) are changing with a high level of dynamism in both ecological zones, with particular mention over the last decade (2011-2021) in terms of degradation in the Guinean savannah zone. Losses in both zones are more considerable than gains and stability. Each zone is marked more by changes in quantity than exchanges and shifts in LULCs, thus giving us information on the rate of loss of forest resources. It is therefore essential to put in place adequate measures to fight this irreversible loss if no action is taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical forests are fraught with a range of pressures driven by different scales of anthropogenic perturbations. Large expanses of diverse tropical forests are lost or degraded annually with drastic outcomes for biodiversity, climate change, forest resources and critical forest ecosystem services. Deforestation and forest degradation occurring in tropical countries are primarily driven by socio-economic and environmental factors. These have resulted in land use land cover changes (LULCC) that threaten biodiversity, water, and energy resources, and also contribute to trace-gas emissions. This study analyzed forest loss (deforestation and degradation) and LULCC at three different ecological zones (Savannah, Transitional and Deciduous) in Ghana via a combination method in Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) field survey and community interactions. The study has revealed a very significant problem of forest loss (deforestation and degradation) at varying scales underpinned by similar causes. In the Savannah zone which covers the Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA) of the Mole National Park in Ghana, it has been established that the area is well endowed with diverse composition and structure of woodland including dense, open and riverine stretches. The results reveal that the annual deforestation rate was at 0.11%. In the Transitional zones, the major findings include substantial land use/land cover conversion agricultural expansion, urbanization, charcoal production and wood fuel harvesting; dense woodland and riverine forest experienced a decline for the period whilst agriculture open woodland/grassland and settlement were appreciated; floral diversity was high in the dense woodlands with low regeneration potential because of persistent annual wildfires; significant socio-economic and environmental impacts resulting in the conversion of woodlands and removal of riverine vegetation leading to drying out of streams. In the Deciduous Forest zone which covers the Greater Kumasi area, it has been revealed that both Open Forest and Agriculture class categories decreased from 51.98 to 38.82 and 27.48 to 20.11, respectively. Meanwhile, Built-up class increased from 4.8% to 24.8% (over 500% increment from 1990 to 2020). Rapid urbanization caused the depletion of forest cover and conversion of farmlands into human settlements. Overall, the study offers vital pieces of information which may be used to observe, advice and sway land use to a more beneficial and sustainable manner as the trend of forest loss is alarming in this part of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]