PATTERNS OF URBAN ECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES IN TOGO CITIES, WEST AFRICA

Within the past four decades, urbanization rates have greatly increased across Africa thus rapidly reshaping urban landscapes. Using high -resolution Landsat 8 imagery and SWOT Analysis, this study examines the spatio-temporal dynamics of urbanization and sustainable urban land use planning across three municipalities (Kozah 1, Kozah 3, and Ogou 1) in Republic of Togo. Results showed built-up areas and agricultural land use to have considerably expanded in Kozah 1 and Kozah 3 between 2013 and 2021. During the same period, savannahs and forests respectively decreased from 15299 ha and 7446.89 ha to 9655.61 ha and 5649.24 ha, corresponding to a decrease of 14.39% for savannahs and 4.58% for forests. Meanwhile, land under water bodies increased in the Ogou 1 from 1592.55 ha or 4.06% in 2013 to 2286.6 ha or 5.83% in 2021. The spatiotemporal analysis showed water bodies, built-up areas, and crops/fallows to have increased by 694 ha, 1178.77 ha, and 5568.22 ha respectively. In addition, agricultural land use was the major land use type in Kozah 1 and Kozah 3 whereas savannah and croplands dominated Ogou 1. With a fragmentation index of 1363 ha, croplands and fallows were the most fragmented land use types in Kozah 1 and Kozah 3. Meanwhile, with a fragmentation index of 735 ha, forests were the most fragmented land use type in Ogou 1. The degradation of green spaces was found to be a consequence of human settlements and infrastructure development, as demonstrated by focus group discussions that confirmed our findings in the satellite image analysis. In addition, research centers, non -governmental organizations, and politicians are encountering difficulties integrating urban ecology into urban planning, according to the surveys. African cities may become sustainable through the smart integration of urban ecology into local development strategies.