Between land tenure and urban ecology: Value and health benefits of trees in ‘large urban land acquisitions’ in Wa, Ghana
Keywords:
large land acquisition, ecosystem services, secondary African cities, Urban Trees, urban land tenure, urban managementAbstract
Persistent reduction in urban green spaces in rapidly growing African cities compromises ecosystem services critical to urban resilience and health. Anchored with urban resilience and salutogenesis, this research examined the role of trees preserved in large urban parcels in promoting urban ecology in Wa. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, with quantitative analysis on the values of the trees and interviews conducted with property managers, residents and workers of the sites to understand their perspectives. I-tree canopy interface was used for quantitative data processing whereas the qualitative data was transcribed from voice recordings and analysed thematically. The findings illustrate that the preserved trees contribute substantially to carbon, air pollution and hydrological benefits. The total carbon (sequestered annually= 169.55kT, stored = 4257.82kT) benefits alone from both sites amounted to 4427.37kT. Overall monetary value from carbon, air pollution, and hydrological benefits for site B (land size =133ac; tree cover=62.43%) was $874,400≈Gh₵14,864,800. This is more than twice the value for site A ($433,178, land size=71.26ac; tree cover = 57.74%), with the two summing up to $1,307,578≈Gh₵22,228,826 (land area=204.26 ac≈1.29% of land in the Township; value produced≈7% of that of the Township) relative to the $18,659,944≈Gh₵317,219,048 for the entire Wa Township (land area=15,808ac). The trees preserved within the study sites enhance biodiversity, provide habitats for fauna and preserve indigenous plant species while offering several economic, socio-cultural and health benefits albeit with certain challenges. The research contributes to the nexus between neo-customary land holding and urban ecology.
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