Urbanization and Wetland Degradation: Land Use Land Cover Change Analysis of the Aberdeen Creek, Sierra Leone River Estuary

Abstract

Abstract The rapid urbanization of the global population is having devastating impacts on wetlands globally. In Sierra Leone, urbanization has resulted in the degradation of mangroves and the overall destruction of the wetland around Aberdeen Creek. This study therefore maps out, characterizes, and assesses the Land Use Land Cover Change, and potentials of Aberdeen Creek situated on the Sierra Leone River Estuary. The study will serve as an eye-opener for sustainable land use planning and preserving the Wetland under the supervision of the Ramsar Convention. In that light, the research was carried out using remote sensing and GIS techniques to analyze the extent of degradation on the wetland in three time series, which were mainly driven by Landsat imageries acquired in 2000, 2023 and predicted a 2033 scenario if urgent actions are not taken. The results show that there is an exponential settlement and infrastructural growth in the study area resulting to the quest for land, housing and other facilities/infrastructures that have given rise to changes in land cover, reduction and loss of the Wetlands. Furthermore, comparing the various time series, the result shows that, by the year 2000 there were abundant mangroves, but over two decades later in 2023, there is a drastic reduction in the mangroves, and the 2033 estimation predicted a worrisome outcome for the wetland. The study equally revealed alarming rates of environmental degradation due to ineffective legal frameworks and enforcement systems. It is therefore recommended that urgent actions be taken to evacuate people from those areas, halt further encroachment and regenerate lost species and ecosystems.