WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development
Print ISSN: 1790-5079, E-ISSN: 2224-3496
Volume 11, 2015
Quantifying Potential Socioeconomic Displacements and Land Use Conflicts in Prospective Mining Villages in Ghana
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Abstract: This study advances that quantifying the potential cost of the mining industry’s activities on local communities’ livelihood can be an efficient tool for managing company-community land use conflicts. A case study is conducted in the emerging Ghana’s North-west gold province. The study combines and uses primary and secondary data that were obtained during two fieldworks. The livelihood activities of 55 sample villages were inventoried and characterised using techniques of regional science. Furthermore, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Geographic Information Science (GIS) tools are integrated. These tools are used to develop land use extents base maps of 53 out of the 55 sample villages. The study finds agriculture, manufacturing, wholesale and retail as the major livelihood sectors in the communities. A coefficient of specialisation (LQ) > 1 in non-agricultural livelihood is found in over 75% of the villages; and a location association (La) > 50 between the industries. The study also quantifies the interactions between village space and mining land use interests. The minimum village area potentially displaced by exploration and mining leases is 90 ha, and the maximum is from 2861 to 4576 ha. Following the location association between industries, a displacement of villages’ space will have a cumulative effect on major aspects of the local economy. The findings can enhance sustainable mining, local communities’ empowerment, and benchmark indicators for land use conflicts management in Africa.
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Pages: 325-342
WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, ISSN / E-ISSN: 1790-5079 / 2224-3496, Volume 11, 2015, Art. #35