Tree Cover of Accra’s Neighbourhoods—a Green Divide

Abstract

Intra-city differences in tree cover are one way in which the urban divide physically manifests itself, adding a green component to the discussion of urban inequalities. I determined the canopy cover of Accra and its 76 neighbourhoods using the 'dot method' approach where random points are displayed on aerial photographs and categorised as located either on a tree or not, obtaining neighbourhood values between 0.2 and 53.6%. The average crown cover of non-poor neighbourhoods is 23.1%, continuously declining to 3.5% in areas of highest poverty. Examining historical events and processes, it can be seen that this canopy cover distribution originates from colonial tree planting patterns. Analysing these legacy effects not only aids our understanding of the present but also can help increase precision when assessing the possible impacts current laws and policies or management systems might have on our urban forest.

The Legacy Effects of Colonial and Apartheid Imprints on Urban Greening in South Africa: Spaces, Species, and Suitability

“…Examination and understandings of site legacy effects on current biodiversity patterns and processes are not unusual for rural or natural settings, but are still relatively rare in urban studies (Roman et al, 2018) and even less so in developing country contexts (du Toit et al, 2016;Hosek, 2019). The legacy effects of a site relate to how the current nature of the site is partly or wholly a reflection of how the site was used or disturbed previously, ranging from a few years beforehand to centuries ago.…”

“…Many facets of indigenous knowledge, beliefs and practices were suppressed, denigrated or outlawed (Johnson and Murton, 2007). They also influenced the location and layout of residential areas (Myers, 2003;Scholz et al, 2015;Titz and Chiotha, 2019), of formal public green spaces (Säumel et al, 2009;Abendroth et al, 2012;Scholz et al, 2015), and the extent and composition of tree species planted in public and private spaces (Stewart et al, 2004;Peckham, 2015;Hosek, 2019).…”

“…The legacy effects of colonialism on the composition and distribution of urban forests have only recently come under scrutiny (e.g., Pawson, 2008;Ignativea and Stewart, 2009;Säumel et al, 2009;Hosek, 2019;Hunte et al, 2019), and a great deal more is required to better understand the patterns, processes and implications across, local, national and international scales (Pawson, 2008;Anderson et al, 2020). For example, Hunte et al (2019) show how distance from the colonial center of Georgetown (Guyana) influenced the type of trees found in particular parts of the city, whilst Gwedla and Shackleton (2017) show how the location of a town in the former racially prescribed bantustans in South Africa influenced the current abundance of street trees.…”