Abstract
Landcover change is an observed natural change dynamics at both the local and regional levels. However, its scales are exacerbated by human interaction with its natural environment. The study examines these spatio-temporal changes in landcover and the level to which the change is accompanied by fragmentation of the identifiable cover types in the Talensi and Nabdam districts in Northern Ghana. The research uses digital classification of Landsat satellite imagery for 1999 and 2007 to produce the cover types which results in good accuracy levels of 66.39% and 63.03% respectively. Fragmentation analysis of the landscape was computed using FRAGSTATS® software for categorical maps obtained from the classified landcover maps for the two years. All cover types increased marginally. However, Bare areas decreased by as much as 17.17% and that of water decreased from 3% to 1%. The changing landscape involving conversions within and among various cover types is accompanied by fragmentation in all classes but more pronounced in the Bare class. The Bare class type which has more patches corresponds to the class with increased cover size and rather strangely decreases in the mean path size.
Highlights
The presence of humans on earth and their interaction with nature is constantly changing landscapes and is having a great effect on the natural environment
Talensi and Nabdam Districts, with Tongo and Nangode as capitals, respectively, are newly created districts which were carved from the erstwhile Talensi-Nabdam District which was carved from the Bolgatanga Municipality which has Bolgatanga as its capital and the regional seat of administration
The distributions of the Ground Control Points (GCPs) were taken into consideration and small sample points (GPS points) of a land use/land cover type were randomly selected in the field
Summary
The presence of humans on earth and their interaction with nature is constantly changing landscapes and is having a great effect on the natural environment. The changes in landscapes are in response to socio-economic development such as agriculture, mining, logging and construction. These are primary components of many current environmental concerns of land use and land cover changes (Hong, 1999). Concerns about land use/land cover change emerged in the research agenda on global environmental change several decades ago with the realisation that land surface processes influence climate (Southworth and Munroe, 2004). Natural factors contribute to land cover changes, the interaction of humans with the natural environment to improve livelihoods, have transformed land use and land cover (Ampofo et al, 2015)
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