Urban expansion and vegetal cover loss in and around Nigeria's Federal Capital City

Abstract

Since Abuja became Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory in 1976; it has been experiencing rapid expansion, urbanization and significant changes in its physical landscape. This study used Remote sensing and GIS techniques to identify, mark and measure the extent of change in the various land uses from the Landsat imageries of 1987 and 2001, and Nigeriasat-1 imagery of 2006. The study revealed that while built-up area increased, vegetation cover decreased at an alarming rate. Using population figures of the study area for 1987, 2001 and 2006, the Land Consumption Rate (LCR) and Land Absorption Coefficient (LAC) were determined. Increasing population and expansion in the Federal Capital City (FCC) resulted in land degradation including loss of vegetal cover, indiscriminate waste disposal, contamination of surface water, etc. now clearly visible in the FCC. In view of the important role that vegetation plays as a carbon sink, policy-makers are requested to strictly enforce the existing laws on afforestation and parks establishment and other measures, within and around the FCC in order to achieve a sustainable urban growth and development.