Land use change detection using the intensity analysis at the Bosomtwe District, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Changing environmental conditions owing to increasing resource degradation and urbanization in the Bosomtwe district of Ghana make the land cover and change detection analysis an extremely important consideration for Sustainable Environmental Management. The district, where lies the only natural occurring Lake in Ghana, Lake Bosomtwe, is a highly populated urban district that is threatened by rapid vegetation losses, subsequently destroying important biodiversity within the watershed of the UNESCO biosphere reserve. This research investigates the significance of transitions among the major land use/land cover categories in the Bosomtwe district using GIS and remote sensing technologies. Support Vector classification algorithm was adopted for classifying satellite imageries of the years 2002, 2008, 2016, and 2022 while the analysis of the dynamics of change was conducted using the land use change intensity analysis. The study results provide evidence of the prominence of LULC changes within the 20 years interval of assessment. Significant changes in the structure and arrangement of the LULC within the Bosomtwe area were observed for 20 year period. The period between 2016 and 2022 experienced rapid changes and the land use transformation accelerated over the whole period as compared to the 2002-2008- and 2008-2016- year intervals. The study concludes that the major changes are Built-up and Agricultural activities which have claimed forest lands around the Lake's catchment and has intensified in recent years (2016 - 2022). Based on the findings, the study recommends that spatial planning of the spaces in the district be strictly implemented to protect the remnant forest from anthropogenic activities. Afforestation projects should be carried out within the district to reclaim the lost biodiversity. Implementation of such projects are critical in conserving the Lake's biosphere and ecosystem to ensure its sustainability.