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<p>The Black Volta River (BVR) Corridor in the Nadowli-Kaleo District is an ecologically and socioeconomically important area that has experienced significant environmental degradation due to unregulated illegal mining (<i>galamsey</i>) activities. This study examines the extent of anthropogenic land use land cover (LULC) changes, their implications for water resources, and the relationship between key environmental indicators, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST). Multi-temporal Landsat images from 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2025 were analyzed using Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) in ENVI 5.3 following geometric and radiometric corrections, while spectral indices were derived in ArcMap 10.8. The results reveal a decline in open vegetation (13%), closed vegetation (4.9%), and water bodies (0.4%), alongside increases in built-up areas (10.4%), degraded or mined areas (5.6%), and agricultural land (2.1%). Land Surface Temperature shows an overall rising trend, increasing from 16.7–32.2&#xa0;°C in 2005 to 22.5–34.5&#xa0;°C in 2025. In addition, NDVI and NDWI exhibit an inverse relationship with LST, indicating that reductions in vegetation cover and water bodies are associated with higher surface temperatures. These findings highlight the substantial environmental impacts of illegal mining in the BVR Corridor and underscore the need to strengthen monitoring of mining activities, promote sustainable resource extraction practices, and implement locally adapted conservation strategies to mitigate climate change impacts in the BVR Corridor. </p>

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Two Decades of Illegal Mining (Galamsey), Land Use Land Cover Change, and Water Resources Decline in Ghana’s Black Volta River Corridor (2005–2025)

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月30日

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  • Issah Baddianaah,
  • Cornelius K. A. Pienaah,
  • Kenneth Tengapoe,
  • Sakibu Nakyeenaa Salifu,
  • Mercy Apuswin Abarike

摘要

The Black Volta River (BVR) Corridor in the Nadowli-Kaleo District is an ecologically and socioeconomically important area that has experienced significant environmental degradation due to unregulated illegal mining (galamsey) activities. This study examines the extent of anthropogenic land use land cover (LULC) changes, their implications for water resources, and the relationship between key environmental indicators, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST). Multi-temporal Landsat images from 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2025 were analyzed using Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) in ENVI 5.3 following geometric and radiometric corrections, while spectral indices were derived in ArcMap 10.8. The results reveal a decline in open vegetation (13%), closed vegetation (4.9%), and water bodies (0.4%), alongside increases in built-up areas (10.4%), degraded or mined areas (5.6%), and agricultural land (2.1%). Land Surface Temperature shows an overall rising trend, increasing from 16.7–32.2 °C in 2005 to 22.5–34.5 °C in 2025. In addition, NDVI and NDWI exhibit an inverse relationship with LST, indicating that reductions in vegetation cover and water bodies are associated with higher surface temperatures. These findings highlight the substantial environmental impacts of illegal mining in the BVR Corridor and underscore the need to strengthen monitoring of mining activities, promote sustainable resource extraction practices, and implement locally adapted conservation strategies to mitigate climate change impacts in the BVR Corridor.