Evaluation of the Extent of Land Use-Land Cover Changes of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria from 1987-2019

Abstract

Human growth and development occur at the expense of our natural resources. The ancient city of Benin, the capital of Edo State, Nigeria has been experiencing a surge in population hence this study was initiated to evaluate the extent of land use-land cover (LULC) changes over a 32-year period (1987-2019), using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques. USGS Landsat data were acquired for 1987, 2002, and 2019, pre-processed and classified using ENVI 5.2 software and exported into ARC-GIS platform for further analysis. The results of the 1987-2019 LULC classifications were also used to forecast Benin City's LULC for 2050 using the Markov and CA-Markov models in TerrSet 17.0 software. The results showed that 284.56 km2 of forest lands were lost over a 32-year period (1987-2019), while built-up and barren lands increased rapidly by 153.96km2 and 81.58km2, respectively. By 2050, the built-up area is expected to increase by 236.92km2, while barren land is expected to maintain its percentage cover. Grassland increased by 52.16 km2, while water decreased by 3.60 km2, both of these classes are expected to decrease by 157.58km2 and 0.45km2 by 2050, respectively. The increase in population and built-up areas in Benin City contributes to deforestation and increased urban heat, as well as reduced ecosystem services and biodiversity loss. As a result, it is recommended that the Benin City Urban Planning Authority encourage the planting of ornamental trees, shrubs, and lawns in order to restore more carbon sequestration to the ecosystem and thus reduce global warming.