Dynamic influence of mining-induced land use land cover changes on avifauna community over a mining landscape, Ghana

Despite the ecological importance of avifauna and the well-documented deleterious effects of mining on biodiversity, there is skimpy attention on the specific consequences of mining on the avian community. The study evaluated the dynamics of mining-induced land use/cover changes and consequent impacts on the avifauna community in the Ahafo mining area in Ghana. Landsat-TM and OLI imageries between 2003 and 2022 were digitally analyzed utilizing a maximum likelihood supervised classification technique in Erdas Imagine and Arc-GIS platforms. A bird survey was conducted with 150 random transects within a 1500 m radius of the Ahafo mining facility using the point count method, with the same number of transects laid in an intact forest. The diversity and abundance of the birds, were recorded at distances of 500, 1000, and 1500 meters from the edge of the mining facility and that of the forest. The mining landscape experienced substantial changes, resulting in a drastic decline in forest area (82%) with consequent increases in the settlement/bare surfaces, cropland, plantation, mining site and mine water within the period studied. Bird species diversity and abundance were significantly higher in the forest fragments around the mine compared to the intact forest. The birds' diversity indices and mean abundance along distances in the fragmented forest did not vary. The mining landscape was dominated by Ploceus cucullatus (44), followed by Lophoceros semifasciatus (25), whereas Halcyon senegalensis (15) was recorded as the most abundant species in the intact forest, followed by Tockus fasciatus (13). Insectivores were 75% abundant in the mining landscape relative to the intact forest. The findings suggest that mining was the main creator of heterogeneous habitats that favored diverse birds around the mine. The study underscores the need to explore the wildlife enrichment potentials of the heterogeneous habitats in mining areas and management interventions that facilitate forest restoration and bird conservation in the mining landscapes.