Land use-land cover change in the Tano basin, Ghana and the implications on sustainable development goals

The changes in land use and land cover (LULC) contribute to carbon emissions that lead to climate change and global warming. Obtaining information on LULC change is of necessity to ensure land transformation planning, and anthropogenic and natural impact evaluation. The objective of this study is to analyze the historical changes in LULC in the Tano River Basin of Ghana, to provide scientific information for decision-making on achieving sustainable development. A supervised classification of Landsat images (1986, 2010, and 2020) using the Random Forest algorithm was performed, as well as a post-classification comparison of LULC maps in terms of area and size. A "from-to" matrix was used to identify the changes in LULC that occurred between the periods 1986-2010, 2010-2020, and 1986-2020. The results show an overall classification accuracy of 88.9, 88.5, and 88% for LULC maps for the years 1986, 2010, and 2020, respectively. Between the period 1986 and 2020, there is a conversion of the greater part of dense forest to open forest, and subsequently to settlement and cropland as a major historical LULC change pattern in the Tano basin. Cropland and Settlement increased at the rate of 24.8 km/yr and 1.5 km/yr respectively, while Dense forest and Open forest decreased at the rate of 298.4 km/yr and 173.9 km/yr over the period 1986 to 2020. The study outputs are not only useful for formulating and implementing national policies and programs but also, can contribute to assessing and monitoring progress towards attaining Sustainable Development Goal 13 (climate action).