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Abstract Background African countries are among the most vulnerable and affected by climate change. Comprehending climate change poses a major hurdle for the African population, politicians, and the African Union alike, presenting a substantial challenge for all involved. It is generally accepted that universities and other higher education institutions must play a leading role as drivers of change. Therefore, it is very important that African universities educate students about both mitigation and adaptation measures, develop the necessary initiatives to foster research in climate change-related topics and promote cooperation and alliances with key stakeholders. Results This research reports on a study aimed at identifying the extent to which higher education institutions in Africa are engaging in efforts to deal with the challenges posed by climate change. The objectives were accomplished through a mixed method approach, incorporating a review of literature, an international survey, and the inclusion of selected case studies from African universities that have developed successful initiatives. The research has brought to light significant disparities, such as varying perceptions regarding the potential outcomes of climate change and its associated extreme events in African countries. In addition, the study highlighted areas where there is a notable consensus on specific issues. It also offers a comprehensive view of the different strategies that universities are implementing to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation in several areas. Although there is a growing interest in the need to contribute to the joint task of mitigating the effects of climate change and adapting to its consequences, HEIs need to increase their efforts to enhance the work of their professors and researchers. To this end, the involvement of public authorities and other private sector actors is essential. Conclusions This article outlines some actions that need to be undertaken so that universities may play a more active role in global efforts to handle the problems associated with a changing climate. There is a notable focus from academic actors on addressing climate change challenges in Africa. In addition, there is a proactive emphasis on utilizing science and research to comprehend climate change issues and offer widely applicable tools for adaptation and mitigation to safeguard both people and the environment. Consequently, it is crucial and time-sensitive for African universities to enhance their expertise in the field of climate change, fostering the capacity to conduct innovative research that addresses the various challenges linked to the evolving climate. This study offers several useful lessons for African universities to replicate experiences that have generated results in different countries and contexts.

IntroductionThis paper assessed the changes in the forest cover of the Gbele Resource Reserve from 1990 to 2020. This provides a basis for strengthening management decisions to protect the resources in the Gbele Resource Reserve effectively.MethodsLandsat images for 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 were obtained from the United States Geological Service site. They were processed and classified in the System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing, & Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL), a web-based cloud computing platform. The accuracy of the images was assessed using 50 ground-truth points obtained from the 3-5 meter spatial and near-daily temporal resolution planet satellite images from Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI). Post classification change detection was used to analyse the changes in land cover from 1990 to 2000, 2000 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2020.ResultsThe analysis revealed that the total forest area was 55273.2 ha. In 1990, 74.9 % of the reserve was open forest and 24.6 % was shrubs/grass. The open forest declined to 65.8 % in 2000 and further to 62.4 % in 2010 while the shrubs/grass cover increased to 35.7 in 2010. As of 2020, the forest increased to 73.6 % while the shrub/grass cover declined to 25.8 %.DiscussionThese changes could be attributed partly to widespread charcoal production in the fringe districts and rose wood harvesting in the early 2000s. charcoal production and rosewood logging have been livelihood sources for fringe communities. The ban on the harvest and exportation of rosewood after 2010 could partly explain the sharp increase in the open forest cover from 2010 to 2020. The changes in the extent of the reserve from 1990 to 2020 revealed that the reserve can vulnerable to excessive exploitation and can also be resilient if deliberate efforts are made to protect it. It is recommended that the fringe district and municipal Assemblies should strengthen the enforcement of the ban on the logging of the rosewood and trees in the reserve for the production of charcoal.

Agroforestry is a land management strategy with high potential for carbon sequestration. However, the high carbon sequestration potential for agroforestry is still doubtful in many developing countries. This study investigates smallholder farmers’ preferred woody species for agroforestry and their carbon stock potential in West African Savannah. A sample of 345 smallholder farmers was selected across the four area councils within the Nandom Municipality. The plot method was adopted in surveying the woody species on farmlands. A non-destructive biomass estimation method was used by applying an area specific allometric model. A factor of 0.47 was used to convert the biomass of the preferred tree species to carbon. Parkia biglobosa, Acacia sp, Vitellaria paradoxa, Mangifera indica, and Azadirachta indica were the most preferred tree species. The preference for the tree species was based on the socio-economic and environmental benefits smallholders derived from the tree species. Vitellaria paradoxa and Parkia biglobosa were the tree species with the highest carbon stock potential. The study recommends that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with the Forestry Service Commission and Non-Governmental Organisations interested in promoting agricultural activities, should facilitate training smallholder farmers on the nursery and integration of these tree species with their crops.

The combination of water and land ecosystems as found in riparian areas offers valuable ecosystem resources, in dryland areas. The aim of this paper was to draw a management plan for the utilisation, and protection of the riparian forests or woodlands along the Black Volta River in Nandom Municipality. An exploratory research design was used together with quantitative and qualitative approaches. A survey of 75 respondents from 10 communities, 10 key informant interviews, and five focus group discussions in five communities were used to collect primary data. Satellite images for 2001 and 2014 were sourced from USGS site. The results revealed that riparian forest loss was 6.4% over 13 years. There was an increase in bare area by 10.6% over the same period. The study identified 49 plant resources, 14 wildlife resources, and 25 halieutic resources. A five-year management plan was developed with community participation; the implementation of which would engender sustainability of the riparian ecosystem.

Agroforestry is a land management strategy which interfaces between agriculture and forestry. It is a reliable means to combating climate change in different parts of the world. Although majority of smallholder farmers in Ghana are aware of the benefits associated with agroforestry practice, degradation of trees on farmlands remains a major concern. This study investigates the potential of agroforestry as a climate change mitigation strategy in the Nandom Municipal. Eight (8) agroforestry farms were selected for assessment using the non-destructive method. In each farm, the trees were identified by both scientific and local names. The diameter at breast height and height of the trees were measured. The biomass was estimated using the allometric model developed by Aabeyir et al. (2020). The carbon was estimated from the biomass using a factor of 0.47. The results indicate that carbon sequestration is high among trees species like Lannea velutina, Parkia biglobosa and Vitellaria paradoxa which often have large DBH. The study therefore recommends for nursery and integration of such tree species with smallholder crops for purposes of agroforestry.

Increasing physical infrastructure development influences the spatial distribution of vegetation and temperature in many cities around the globe. However, in emerging cities such as Wa Municipality in Ghana and elsewhere, research attention has focused on urban expansion or urban sprawl and the impacts thereof on the peri‑urban vegetation. Considering the importance of vegetation in regulating temperature, reducing windstorm, carbon sequestration and creating beauty, this paper concentrates on the threat posed by urban retrofitting activities on vegetation in open spaces in the Wa Central Business District (CBD). The study area was gridded into 1 ha plots using the Fishnet tool in ArcMap. One hundred and fifty-seven full plots and 75 plots of various sizes less than 1 ha were obtained from the fishnet gridding. One hundred and thirteen full plots were sampled for the counting of the trees. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) maps were prepared from 2014, 2017 and 2020 Landsat 8 satellite images. Point NDVI and LST values were extracted for 600 random points and used to analyze the spatial distribution using Global and Local Moran I tests. Two-sample t-test and Pearson correlation statistical tests were performed to assess the significance of any differences in the NDVI, LST and the tree density for 2014, 2017 and 2020. The results revealed that the average tree densities for 2017 and 2020 in the Wa CBD were 4 and 3 trees ha−1, respectively which were classified as very low. The spatial distribution of the NDVI values showed low, high and insignificant clusters. The NDVI values were within the range of 0.019–0.219. The clusters of high values were found around state institutional structures, where large open spaces existed while clusters of low values were found around the market, transport stations and densely populated areas where open spaces were very few. The land surface temperature trend revealed increasing minimum and maximum values. The minimum LST values were 32 °C, 33 °C and 36 °C in 2014, 2017 and 2020, respectively and the maximum LST values were 36 °C, 37 °C and 40 °C for 2014, 2017 and 2020, respectively. It is concluded that tree density and NDVI values in the CBD are low, signifying isolated trees and patches of vegetation in the area. Also, it was revealed that as greenness reduces LST increases. The Wa Municipal Assembly and the Regional Forestry Commission should intensify public education on tree planting and maintenance in the city.

Abstract Background Modelling aboveground biomass (AGB) in forest and woodland ecosystems is critical for accurate estimation of carbon stocks. However, scarcity of allometric models for predicting AGB remains an issue that has not been adequately addressed in Africa. In particular, locally developed models for estimating AGB in the tropical woodlands of Ghana have received little attention. In the absence of locally developed allometric models, Ghana will continue to use Tier 1 biomass data through the application of pantropic models. Without local allometric models it is not certain how Ghana would achieve Tier 2 and 3 levels under the United Nations programme for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The objective of this study is to develop a mixed-species allometric model for use in estimating AGB for the tropical woodlands in Ghana. Destructive sampling was carried out on 745 trees (as part of charcoal production) for the development of allometric equations. Diameter at breast height (dbh, i.e. 1.3 m above ground level), total tree height (H) and wood density (ρ) were used as predictors for the models. Seven models were compared and the best model selected based on model efficiency, bias (%) and corrected Akaike Information Criterion. The best model was validated by comparing its results with those of the pantropic model developed by Chave et al. (Glob Chang Biol 20:3177–3190, 2014) using equivalence test and conventional paired t-test. Results The results revealed that the best model for estimating AGB in the tropical woodlands is AGB = 0.0580ρ((dbh) 2 H)0.999. The equivalence test showed that this model and the pantropic model developed by Chave et al. (Glob Chang Biol 20:3177–3190, 2014) were equivalent within ±10% of their mean predictions (p-values

Access to woodland plays a critical role in woodland degradation, yet policy efforts at addressing woodland degradation have focused on access to woodland for farming and lumbering to the detriment of access to woodland for charcoal production. Access arrangement to woodland for charcoal production is subsumed under access to woodland for farming, complicating the efforts at understanding the nexus between charcoal production and woodland degradation. This study assessed access arrangement to woodland for charcoal production and how it influences the state of the woodland in the Kintampo Municipality, a sub-political administrative area of Ghana. The views of 103 randomly selected charcoal producers from Asantekwa and Kunsu communities in the Municipality were assessed in relation to woodland access arrangement for charcoal production. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors of charcoal production that influence woodland degradation. The results showed that procedures of access to woodland (P = 0.003), attitude of producers toward the woodland access arrangement (P = 0.023) have significant negative influence on woodland degradation. Producers perceived the procedure of access as unfair and are unwilling to follow it. Perceived unfairness in the procedure of access and unwillingness to follow it are pointers of circumventing the procedure of access to woodland, which is a recipe for conflict and woodland degradation. Woodland owners, chiefs and charcoal producers must make concerted efforts to revise the current access arrangement to woodland so that they become fair and acceptable to all parties in order to ensure sustainable woodland use.

This study presents a multi-level analysis of land cover change in the Kintampo Municipality of Ghana using Landsat TM, ETM + and Landsat 8 images from 1986, 2001 and 2014, respectively. The expected and observed annual rates of land cover change for the periods 1986 to 2001 and 2001 to 2014 were analyzed at temporal and intra and inter-land cover levels using post-classification change detection. The results reveal that the expected annual rate of land cover change for the time intervals is 2.55 %. The observed annual rate of change from 2001 to 2014 is 2.63 %, which is greater than the expected value. This shows that land cover changed faster than expected in this period. The observed intra-land cover gains and losses for woodland is 2.49 % which is less than expected for the change periods. This suggests that the observed gain and loss in woodlands are attributable to random changes. The inter-land cover level changes for both periods reveal that when woodland gained or lost, it did not target shrub/grassland. This shows that the process of gain or loss in woodland in both periods was random. This is an indication that woodland cover is sustained by a slow, natural regeneration process and not by anthropogenic activities. The findings highlight the relevance of multilevel land cover analysis in land cover assessment. The temporal level highlights the need to relate changes in land cover to anthropogenic activities for a better understanding of the changes. The study also revealed that multi-level land cover analysis can facilitate management decisions on whether to reduce loss in woodland or increase gain in woodland cover from shrub land.

This paper assessed encroachment of streams due to physical development in Wa Urban Area of the Upper West Region of Ghana. The assessment was informed by the recognition that the roles played by streams in flood control are undermined by physical developments. This affects sustainable urban development and renders the urban area vulnerable to floods. The assessment was based on the 300m buffer zone standard set by the Ghana Water Resources Commission as a protective zone for such streams in the country. It is mandatory to offset all physical development from this zone but that is not the situation on the ground. For the purpose of this study each buffer zone was divided into sub-buffer zones of 100m in order to appreciate how far development has moved into the prohibited buffer zone. The streams and physical structures were mapped with a Trimble GPS receiver while land owners and tenants were purposively selected and interviewed. The buffer zone and sub-buffer zones were defined using GIS and overlaid with map of the physical structures. The categories of structures found in the buffer zones were residential (93.4 %), commercial (5.1%), public (1.3%) and agriculture (0.2%). The results of the study indicates that more than 50 % of physical structures mapped are located in the inner buffer and the land acquisition process for development of these structures amongst others in Wa is mostly initiated by developers.