Transforming land cover depletion and livelihood strategies in peri-urban Ghana

The study focuses on the extent of land cover change distribution, major livelihood activities and their effects on land cover in peri-urban Accra, using residents of Ablekuma, Agape and Gonse as a case study. The sustainable livelihood and human-environment system concepts were combined to study assets and livelihood strategies changes residents relied on for survival in the study communities. A mixed-method approach, using the cross-sectional and case study designs was applied in the study. Three hundred and thirty respondents answered questionnaires and 40 key informants, were interviewed in the communities. The main findings of the study were that the dominant land cover in the three communities had gone through changes over the years, from 1991 to 2018. The study concluded that there is a shift to other economic activities other than agriculture in the study communities. The study policy recommendation is that local assemblies should encourage residents to plant trees in their houses to improve the biodiversity of the environment.