Livelihood activities in the Lawra Municipality of Ghana: A blessing or a curse to the riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin

Abstract

The study underscores the socio-economic, ecological, chemical, and physical significance of the riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality. However, livelihood activities namely, crop farming, fishing, dry season gardening, shea and dawadawa processing, extensive livestock rearing, forest harvesting, mining, and tobacco farming adversely affect the riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality. The study sought to examine the repercussions of livelihood activities on the riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municipality. Estimates of Shannon Diversity Index (0.686) and Simpson's Index (1.5328) of the vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the Lawra Municiplaity demonstrate a diminished riparian vegetation due to livelihood activities as compared to Shannon Diversity Index (1.6406) and Simpson's Index (3.5511) of the riparian vegetation of the Burkina Faso site across the Black Volta Basin. This is supported by satellite images which justifies a reduction in riparian vegetation of the Black Volta Basin in the year 2020 and 2021 as compared to the year 2000 and 2001. It is recommended that local stakeholders of the riparian vegetation of the study area should enact by-laws in order regulate the exploitation of riparian vegetation species.

Keywords

• Livelihood activities
• Riparian vegetation
• Species richness
• Relative abundance
• Blessing
• Curse