Integrated assessment of environmental pressure in Ghana coastal wetlands using climate remote sensing and socioeconomic data

This study assessed human-environment pressure in the Keta Lagoon Complex (KLC) and the Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Site (MPRS) by integrating land-use and land-cover change, hydroclimatic variability and satellite-derived indicators of human activity. Landsat imagery for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2024 was classified using Random Forest, while CHIRPS rainfall, sea-surface temperature, evapotranspiration-based water stress and VIIRS night-time radiance were analysed for the common assessment years. Revised classifications achieved overall accuracies of 0.769–0.864 for KLC and 0.772–0.903 for MPRS, supported by class-specific Producer’s Accuracy, User’s Accuracy and F1-scores. Between 2000 and 2024, built-up cover increased by 71.72% at KLC and 17.73% at MPRS, while natural vegetation declined in both systems. An entropy-weighted Human-Environment Pressure Index increased from 0.362 to 0.562 at KLC and from 0.320 to 0.497 at MPRS between 2015 and 2024. Sensitivity analysis showed strong agreement with an equal-weight index (Spearman rho = 0.943, p = 0.0048). The results indicate increasing but spatially contrasting pressure, with broader landscape conversion at KLC and concentrated vegetation loss and peri-urban pressure at MPRS. The index represents relative pressure rather than direct ecological degradation.