Riparian forest buffers (RF) are integrative part of the savanna agricultural landscape. However, they are under threat of deforestation from agricultural intensification. To ascertain the impact of the deforestation, this study used remote sensing techniques and field inventorying to assess riparian woody plant diversity on farmland (FA) and forest reserve (FR) along Tankwidi rivercourse in the Sudanian savanna of Ghana. Post-classification analysis of Landsat images revealed a reduction in forest cover from 1986 (23%) to 2014 (7%) in the river basin. Ground survey of sixty randomly selected plots (500 m² per plot) equally divided between FA and FR along the river in a 50 m buffer zone showed a reduction in the number of woody species (diameter ≥ 5 cm) from FR (40) to FA (19). Anogeissus leiocarpus and Mitragyna inermis were the most abundant species in both FR and FA. Shannon-Wiener Index for species diversity reduced from FR (2.5±0.09) to FA (1.8±0.14). Within FR, there were more species (58%) in the lower diameter class (5 to 15 cm) than the higher diameter classes (15 to 50 cm) suggesting successful regeneration. The reverse was observed in FA where the individuals in the lower diameter class were fewer (26%) than the higher diameter classes. Reduction in species density from FR (355±21) to FA (146±11) will increase the surface exposure of the riparian area in farmland to heighten risks to climate disasters such as fires and flooding. Managing the risks will not be possible unless a conscious effort is made to educate farmers on the roles of RF, replanted to enhance diversity or riparian buffer excluded from farming for vegetation recovery.

 

Key words: Riparian buffer, biodiversity, Sudanian savanna, agricultural watershed.