Land degradation in gold mining communities of Ijesaland, Osun state, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper identified 37 mining sites in ten gold mining communities of Ijesaland, Nigeria; examined the forms, levels and extent of land degradation resulted from mining activities; analyzed spatial pattern of land use and finally assessed the effects of mining on livelihood of the people. The study utilized global positioning system receiver to obtain geographic coordinates of mining sites. The forms of land degradation were captured through field observations and photographs while the levels and extent of the degraded lands were measured with measuring tape and the values were determined using mathematical formula for calculating area of a circle. Landsat datasets were used to analyze spatial pattern of land use and the effects of mining activities were examined through questionnaire administration on two hundred heads of household who were randomly selected. Focus group discussions (FGD) were organized among adult men and women to complement information obtained from questionnaire survey. The study discovered 354 mining pits as major form of land degradation, which ranges in sizes and depths. The average depth of mining pits was 3.4 m while an estimate of 25.8 ha. of land was degraded in the entire mining sites. There was a consensus among FGD participants and respondents of questionnaire survey that mining activities introduced adverse effects into their communities and attracted socio-economic benefits at the same time. The results of this study underscore the need for close monitoring of mining operations to reduce the negative impact of mining activities on the environment.