Land Transition and Intensity Analysis of Cropland Expansion in Northern Ghana

Environmental Management
Kikuko ShoyamaOsamu Saito

Abstract

Cropland expansion to meet the growing demand for food and fuel is a driving factor in forest degradation. Over the next few decades, increases in the area of agricultural land are expected to be concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, which still has large tracts of unexploited land suitable for agricultural production. We analyzed land-cover change in northern Ghana between 1984 and 2015 and compared it with background social factors associated with land change. Maps from three points in time were analyzed to identify the impact of cropland expansion on the distribution of natural vegetation. Three-level intensity analysis revealed that the overall rate of change for the 31-year period was less than that of the first time interval (1984-1999); however, the overall impact on natural vegetation was substantial, and grassland in particular was reduced to a very small proportion of the area over the period. Cropland replaced only grassland during the first time interval, but also began to replace open woodland during the second interval (1999-2015). The in-depth assessment revealed that cropland expansion continued at a steady rate, but the impact on natural vegetation was not uniform across vegetation types; grassland was more vulne...Continue Reading

References

Jul 5, 2005·Environmental Management·Ademola K Braimoh, Paul L G Vlek
Nov 23, 2006·Xenobiotica; the Fate of Foreign Compounds in Biological Systems·K BleasbyJ G Slatter
Dec 21, 2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·B L TurnerAnette Reenberg
Jan 7, 2014·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·William F LauranceKenneth G Cassman

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