Towards sustainable land use: A geospatial analysis of soil moisture content in a mining-induced degraded landscape of Ghana

Mining activities in tropical savanna regions can severely disrupt soil structure and vegetation, yet the factors influencing soil moisture content in post-mining landscapes are not fully understood. This study focused on the factors associated with soil moisture in a mining-induced degraded landscape. This study hypothesized that there is no significant relationship between soil moisture and the presence of open grasses, open shrubs, and closed shrubs. Through a field survey, soil moisture data were collected from an abandoned, unreclaimed mine land in Ghana. Ten univariate and two multivariable GIS-based generalized linear regression models were constructed to assess the relationship between soil moisture and several independent variables, including the presence of vegetation. The results show that the presence of open grasses, open shrubs, and closed shrubs significantly explains 52% of the variation in soil moisture (R² = 0.520, p < 0.05). Soil moisture is 18.04%, 15.56%, and 14.30%, significantly higher in open grasses, open shrubs, and closed shrubs, respectively, compared to bare soil (p < 0.05). While soil temperature significantly predicts soil moisture values in the univariate model, its statistical significance is masked by factors, including open grasses, open shrubs, closed shrubs, elevation, slope, topographic wetness index, north-facing direction, and south-facing direction, in the multivariable model. Our results suggest that in savanna areas where moisture-laden soil is essential for reclaiming mine-degraded landscapes, and enhancing the likelihood of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 15, it is necessary first to improve grass cover to moisten the soil, followed by planting tree- and non-tree shrubs.