Dynamics and perceived drivers of land use and cover change in the Kassena-Nankana West district of Ghana

Abstract

Land use and cover change is now a pertinent issue due to the degradation of vital ecosystems, which provides diverse services. Amidst these changing trends, existing studies that mostly rely on spatial analyses alone has limited integration with the broader social science narratives. Emerging discourses have blamed land use and cover change on population growth without consideration of the wider political economy. This paper employed a hybrid method to identify the dynamics and underlying drivers of land use and cover change in the Kassena-Nankana West District. The findings reveal that agriculture, settlement, and bare soil expanded greatly at the expense of wooded savannah area between 1990 and 2020. In tandem with the satellite data, local farmers observed significant expansion in settlement, agriculture and bare soil and decreases in wooded savannah area over the same period. The findings further revealed that colonial footprints in forest reservation, biological constraints, economic opportunities, and labour migration are important drivers of land use and cover change in the KNWD. To sustain livelihoods and maintain stable natural vegetation, planned ecosystem integrity pathways should consider labour migration and resettlement, but these require careful planning to address challenges such as equitable land allocation, livelihood access, community vulnerabilities, cultural dimensions, and participatory planning to avoid exacerbating vulnerabilities.