Title Page
ABSTRACT
Contents
ABBREVIATION 12
1. INTRODUCTION 13
1.1. Background 13
1.2. Research objectives 17
1.3. Scope 17
1.4. Significance of the research 18
1.5. Organization of the thesis 19
2. LITERATURE REVIEW 20
2.1. Urban trees 20
2.2. Benefits of urban trees 20
2.3. Participation in tree programmes 24
2.4. Perception of the value of urban trees 27
2.5. Residents preference in of type of trees and urban green space 28
2.6. Increase in impervious cover within urban areas 30
2.7. Management of urban trees 31
2.8. Case study: Ghana 33
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 37
3.1. Background to location of study 37
3.1.1. Description of study area 39
3.2. Criteria for selection of study area 40
3.2.1. Fast growing urban area 40
3.2.2. Diverse classes of neighbourhoods 41
3.3. Field work and data collection 44
3.4. Survey and questionnaire design 45
3.4.1. Primary data 47
3.4.2. Secondary data 47
4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS 48
4.1. Vegetation change in Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly of the Greater Accra Region 48
4.1.1. Land cover analysis 48
4.1.2. Change detection 56
4.2. Socio economic characteristics of respondents 65
4.2.1. Perception of residents on benefits of urban trees 66
4.2.2. Residents knowledge of urban trees in their neighbourhood 72
4.2.3. Residents' knowledge of laws and policies regarding urban trees 82
4.2.4. Residents participation and awareness 83
4.3. Cronbach's Alpha 86
4.3.1. Knowledge of urban trees in neighbourhood 86
4.3.2. Knowledge of laws or regulations on urban trees 89
4.4. Chi-Square 90
4.5. Paper based interview of public officials. 93
4.5.1. Department of Parks and Gardens 93
4.5.2. Environmental Protection Agency 95
4.5.3. Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly 98
4.6. Interrelation between survey results and findings from institutional representatives 101
4.6.1. Awareness/ education 101
4.6.2. Participation in urban tree programmes 102
4.6.3. Tree removal activities 103
5. CONCLUSIONS 105
5.1. Recommendations 105
5.2. Conclusion 106
5.3. Recommendations for future studies 108
BIBLIOGRAPHY 110
Appendices 116
Appendix 1. Draft question for residents of Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly 116
Appendix 2. Questionnaire for Department of Parks and Gardens 122
Appendix 3. Questionnaire for Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly 128
Appendix 4. Questionnaire for Environmental Protection Agency 133
초록 139
Table 1. showing number of residents to be surveyed in communities located in Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly. 46
Table 2. Land cover for 1990 51
Table 3. Land cover for 2010 52
Table 4. Land cover for 2020. 53
Table 5. Change in land cover classes between 1990 to 2010. 56
Table 6. Land cover change from 2010 to 2020. 60
Table 7. Summary statistics. 87
Table 8. Cronbach's alpha if item deleted. 88
Table 9. Descriptive statistics of the four variables. 88
Table 10. Summary statistics. 89
Table 11. Cronbach's alpha if item deleted. 90
Table 12. Chi Square Test (distribution of street trees and the number of years in LEKMA). 91
Table 13. Chi Square Test (increase in number of trees and number of years in LEKMA) 91
Table 14. Chi Square Test (increased in number of trees and location or community in LEKMA). 92
Table 15. Chi-square test (law/regulation(s) on removal of urban trees and age of residents). 93
Figure 1. Map of Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly 40
Figure 2. street of a planned community in LEK MA 42
Figure 3. Street of a planned community in LEKMA 42
Figure 4. Street within a poorly planned community in LEKMA 43
Figure 5. Street within a poorly planned community in LEKMA 43
Figure 6. Landsat satellite images of the study area 50
Figure 7. Land cover map 1990 51
Figure 8. Land cover map 2010 52
Figure 9. Land cover map 2020. 53
Figure 10. Land cover changes between 2010 and 2020. 56
Figure 11. Map showing land cover changes between 1990 and 2010. 57
Figure 12. Land cover changes between 2010 and 2020. 60
Figure 13. Map showing land cover changes between 2010 and 2020. 61
Figure 14. Perception of residents on urban trees as a source of food. 67
Figure 15. Perception of residents on urban trees serve as a source of shade. 68
Figure 16. Residents perception on the benefit of urban trees improving air quality. 69
Figure 17. Perception on urban trees serving as wind breaks during storm. 70
Figure 18. Perception of residents on the aesthetic value of urban trees. 70
Figure 19. Perception of residents who believe trees reduce energy consumption. 71
Figure 20. Perception of residents about trees fostering a sense of community. 72
Figure 21. Residents' perception of even distribution of avenue trees in neighbourhood. 73
Figure 22. Residents perception on the number of trees on the road leading to their house in the municipality. 74
Figure 23. Residents' perception of tree removal activities in the past years for the purpose of construction, make way for kiosk, stores, or billboard etc. 75
Figure 24. Perception on whether the number of trees in the community has increased over the years (over the past 10 years). 76
Figure 25. Perception on the decrease in the number of trees in the community over the years. 77
Figure 26. Residents' satisfaction with the number of trees on their street (neighbourhood). 78
Figure 27. Residents with trees within 100m of their residence. 79
Figure 28. Residents who planted replacement trees. 81
Figure 29. Residents knowledge on existence of law(s) to protect urban trees. 83
Figure 30. Response to education on process of acquiring a tree felling permit. 84
Figure 31. Education on the conservation and importance of urban trees 85