Forest Management Practices towards Biodiversity Conservation: Insights from Bobiri Forest and Butterfly Sanctuary in Ghana

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation is critical due to global losses driven by illegal mining, population growth, harmful agriculture, and deforestation, necessitating interventions like afforestation and ecotourism. This study aimed to address the slow application of geographic tools in understanding the impact of human activities on biodiversity by using remote sensing and
GIS. Landsat TM5 and ETM+ images from 1986, 2012, and 2020 were processed and classified into forest, grassland, farmland, and built-up areas. The analysis revealed an increase in forest cover from 1986 to 2012, followed by a decline from 2012 to 2020, with classification accuracies of 76% for 1986 and 72% for both 2012 and 2020. These findings underscore the need for enhanced
conservation efforts. The study recommends policies and strategies to boost plantation programs and ecotourism initiatives to restore and maintain ecosystems.