Sustainable Land Use Evaluation on Steep Landscapes and Flood Plains in the New Juaben District of Ghana: A GIS Approach.

Abstract

Specific criteria arc stipulated and recommendations made for sustainable management of landscapes in Ghana. Yet, evaluation is scarcely conducted to determine whethcr real performance or land-use strategics arc meeting expected standards of sustainability. The paper reports on an evaluation study conducted on a landscape with various levels of slopes and flood plains. The study sought to demonstrate the application or information technology in achieving the objectives of sustainable land-use management. Landscape of the area was modeled in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Slope was derived from digital elevation model (DEM) and spatially analyzed with land-use/cover information generated from satellite data. The performance of existing land-use was compared with expected land-use performance criteria for steep landscapes and flood plains. Steep slopes and areas within 100 m of the Densu River have been denuded of forest vegetation. Rather than making only a marginal use or geo-information technology in generating data, we must leverage its inherent analytical potentials that enable innovative, creative and enhanced management decisions for sustainable land resource use. Continually monitoring and evaluating the performance or land-resource utilization will provide feedback information necessary for directing resource use on sustainable trajectories.