THE USE OF REMOTE SENSING IN GHANA TO SUSTAINABLY MANAGE THE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

A prerequisite for achieving the objectives of sustainable development is knowledge of the nature, extent, geographical distribution, along with the potentials and limits of natural resources. The mapping, monitoring, measuring, and management of many elements of the built, natural, and biophysical environments are all made possible through satellite remote sensing. Remote sensing is a crucial tool for advancing solutions and offers useful insights into urgent environmental concerns. Thus, data collection for efficient resource management in Ghana has shown to be greatly aided by remote sensing, which may also be used for environmental monitoring and management. Because of this, it is crucial for remote sensing technology to progress in order to acquire data more effectively and efficiently, which helps with rapid change detection, sustainable environmental management, and sustainability. This review's goal was to provide a thorough analysis of the literature on Ghana's use of remote sensing for environmental management and sustainability. Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Science Direct (Elsevier), and Scopus (Elsevier) were a few of the databases used for the review. The findings indicate that there are numerous remote sensing applications for sustainable environmental management in Ghana, including environmental impact assessments of various projects, analyses of changes in land use and land cover, mapping of watersheds and hydrologic features, estimation of soil loss, management of water resources, management of forestry resources, and management of natural disasters. The outcomes also demonstrate that natural, biophysical, and constructed ecosystems might be appropriately monitored and sustainably managed for the benefit of both the present and future generations with the use of remote sensing technology. Governments, municipal managers, environmentalists, and planners may develop useful plans and strategies for sustainable development and effective environmental management with the aid of the information supplied by remote sensing. Keywords: Ghana, Sustainable Management, Environment, Remote Sensing.