Effects of land use and land cover changes on ecosystem services and functions in the Kulpawn River Basin of Ghana

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100277

Abstract

Abstract:

The Kulpawn River Basin (KRB) plays a critical role in supporting rural livelihoods through agriculture, water supply, and biodiversity conservation. However, between 1995 and 2023, significant land use and land cover (LULC) changes have been observed, affecting ecosystem services (ESs). This study evaluated the ecosystem service values (ESVs) associated with LULC changes. The random forest algorithm was applied to extract LULC information from Landsat images for 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2023. The benefit transfer method was employed to estimate the ESVs over the study period. Questionnaires were also used to assess the views of respondents on the drivers of the ES changes in the basin. The results showed that agricultural lands expanded by 14.14%, built-up areas by 15.17%, and light savannah forest by 8.73%, while dense savannah forest and water bodies declined by 25.71% and 20.00%, respectively. The total estimated ESV was 410.09×10⁸, 362.92×10⁸, 335.30×10⁸, and 319.28×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a) in 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2023, respectively, indicating that the total ESV declined from 410.09×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a) in 1995 to 319.28×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a) in 2023. The study concludes that the reduction in ESVs is due to the LULC changes resulting from agricultural activities, expansion of built-up areas, population sprawl, and artisanal mining activities. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop programs and strategies to mitigate and curtail the degradation of LULC and ESVs in the basin. These findings reveal a growing ecological vulnerability, threatening water security and rural livelihoods. The study offers valuable insights to guide sustainable land use planning and ecosystem conservation strategies.

Key words: Ecosystem services, Ecosystem functions, Land use and land cover (LULC) changes, Ecosystem service values (ESVs), Kulpawn River Basin

Osman ZAKARI, Charles GYAMFI, Samuel Anim OFOSU, Ebenezer BOAKYE, Solomon Tawiah APAFO, Geophrey Kwame ANORNU, Bernard Nuoleyeng BAATUUWIE. Effects of land use and land cover changes on ecosystem services and functions in the Kulpawn River Basin of Ghana[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2025, 6(6): 100277.

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Satellite	Sensor	Spatial resolution (m)	Year	Path/Row
Landsat 5	Thematic Mapper (TM)	30	1995	194/52
Landsat 7	Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM)	30	2005	194/52
Landsat 7	ETM+	30	2015	194/52
Landsat 8	Operational Land Imager (OLI)	30	2023	195/54

LULC type	Description	Subclass
Dense savannah forest	Natural woody vegetation with a canopy cover of 35.00%-65.00% and a height above 5.0 m	Woodlots, canopy woodlands, and sacred groves
Light savannah forest	Characterized by shrubs/grasses with a cover of 10.00%-35.00% and a height of 2.5-5.0 m	Shrubs and grasses
Water bodies	Areas containing water	Rivers, dams, streams, reservoirs, and marshy areas
Built-up areas	Areas covered by settlements, buildings, and infrastructure	Residential areas, commercial areas, industrial areas, road network, rural and urban areas, and bare areas
Agricultural lands	Areas under the cultivation of crops	Crop lands, fallow lands, and degraded areas

LULC type	Equivalent biome	ESV coefficient (USD/(hm²·a))
Dense savannah forest	Tropical forest	115,230
Light savannah forest	Grassland	1166
Agricultural lands	Cultivated areas	6119
Water bodies	Lakes/rivers	105,382

Ecosystem service	Ecosystem function	Tropical forest (×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a))	Grassland (×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a))	Cultivated areas (×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a))	Lakes/rivers (×10⁸ USD/(hm²·a))
Provisioning services	Food	602	-	510	2288
	Water	47,869	313	604	9198
	Raw materials	11,739	637	6	92
	Genetic resources	16	-	-	-
Regulating services	Air quality regulation	309	8	10	-
	Climate regulation	658	73	10	251
	Moderation of extreme events	108	-	993	18
	Regulation of water flow	442	43	17	4221
	Waste treatment	12	-	40	50,760
	Erosion prevention	604	-	173	-
Supporting services	Maintenance of soil fertility	42	-	34	6189
	Biological control	14	-	621	142
	Maintenance of habitat	19	-	-	803
	Maintenance of genetic diversity	7	-	-	17,787
Cultural services	Recreation	52,789	92	3101	13,633
Total ESV		115,230	1166	6119	105,382

LULC type	1995		2005		2015		2023
LULC type	Area (hm²)	Area proportion (%)	Area (hm²)	Area proportion (%)	Area (hm²)	Area proportion (%)	Area (hm²)	Area proportion (%)
Agricultural lands	90,500	8.45	96,300	8.98	100,800	9.42	103,300	9.65
Built-up areas	295,300	27.58	314,012	29.32	320,385	29.93	340,090	31.77
Dense savannah forest	179,250	16.74	158,133	14.80	124,196	11.60	133,009	12.42
Light savannah forest	321,140	30.00	340,016	31.76	348,116	32.51	349,120	32.61
Water bodies	184,330	17.23	162,059	15.14	177,023	16.54	145,001	13.55