Built-up area expansion in the Wa Municipality of Ghana: implications for vegetation cover loss and fragmentation

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study draws on the patch-mosaic model and uses geospatial and statistical methods to assess vegetation fragmentation specifically from built-up area expansion between 1990 and 2018 in the Wa Municipality of Ghana. The study finds that 0.19% and 0.33% annual expansion in the built-up area from 1990-2006 and 2006-2018 contributed to annual vegetation patch size variability (coefficient of variation in the patch size) of 1.82% and 120.97% from 1990-2006 and 2006-2018, respectively. Our results suggest that a higher rate of increase in built-up area would likely create larger quantities of intermixed vegetation and built-up patches.