Deforestation in Uyo Urban Area: A GIS and Remote Sensing Approach

Abstract

This study measured and analyzed deforestation in Uyo and examined the possible effects of the deforestation on the Environment. When and where have forest lands changed in Uyo from 1969 – 2004? Aerial photographs taken from 1969 – 2001 which use was complemented with the Quick bird satellite imagery for 2004 were applied. The objectives of this study were to: interpret and digitize remote sensing data for Uyo for the periods 1969, 1978, 1988, 2001 and 2004; evaluate the deforestation changes that had taken place in Uyo over the periods of the study and to assess the effect of deforestation on the Uyo environment. Along the remote sensing technology, the geographical information system (GIS) technology was applied to carry out this research. Field studies were also carried out to arrive at appropriate results. Forestlands continually dropped in land area during the period while industrial lands, institutional, residential and transportation lands recorded increases in land areas. Reclassifying the land uses into built-up and forest lands revealed that the built-up lands constantly rose while the forest lands kept dropping. The built-up lands increased by 40.34% between 1969 and 1978, 5.63% between 1978 and 1988, and 111.45% between 1988 and 2001 and 0.16% between 2001 and 2004 at the expense of the forest portion of the town which fell by 34.08% between 1969 and 1978, 8.57% between 1978 and 1988, 47.34% between 1988 and 2001 and 0.17% between 2001 and 2004. Furthermore, between 1969/1978, the average annual rates of deforestation in Uyo Urban area were 3.79%, 0.86% between 1978/1988, 3.64% between 1988/2001 and 0.06% between 2001/2004. The largest quantity, percentage and average annual rates of loss of forest lands were made between 1988 and 2001. Increase in population, per capita income, and land use activities and by extension urban expansion were found to be the major factors causing deforestation in Uyo. The fieldwork revealed that deforestation has caused many environmental problems in Uyo like flooding, gully erosion, scarcity of agricultural land and poverty. Efforts being made to reduce the problems included conservation of the ravine area which was prone to gully erosion and other hazards, construction of the Nkemba Trough to drain most of the flood water from the area, importation of food from other Local Government areas and other States to supplement food supply in the area. The Government, people and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Akwa Ibom State should co-operate to assist in mitigating the deforestation in Uyo.Keywords: Deforestation, Reforestation, Environmental problems, Uyo.