Land Use and Land Cover Changes: A Case Study in Nigeria

Olanrewaju H. Ologunde (), Mordiyah O. Kelani, Moges K. Biru, Abdullahi B. Olayemi and Márcio R. Nunes ()
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Olanrewaju H. Ologunde: Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Mordiyah O. Kelani: Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta P.M.B. 2240, Nigeria
Moges K. Biru: Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Abdullahi B. Olayemi: Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria P.M.B. 1044, Nigeria
Márcio R. Nunes: Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) assessment is vital for achieving sustainable ecosystems. This study quantified and mapped the spatiotemporal LULC changes in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria, between 2015 and 2023. The LULC was classified into water, forest or thick bush, sparse vegetation, built-up, and bare land using Landsat images. Processing, classification, and image analysis were done using the ESRI ArcGIS Pro 3.3. LULC changed from 2015 to 2023, with built-up areas and sparse vegetation increasing by 138.2 km 2 and 28.7 km 2 , respectively. In contrast, forest or thick bush, which had the greatest change among the LULC classes, decreased by 153.7 km 2 over this period while bare land and water bodies decreased by 9.5 km 2 and 3.8 km 2 , respectively. Forest or thick bush (201.0 km 2 ) was converted to sparse vegetation, which reflects an increase in agricultural activities in the region. The conversion of about 109.8 km 2 of vegetation and 3.7 km 2 of water bodies to built-up areas highlights considerable urbanization. Overall, the increase in the built-up area highlights the need for sustainable land use practices to balance urban growth with ecological preservation, achievable through effective management and policy frameworks.

Keywords: LULC changes; maximum likelihood algorithm; Landsat images; supervised classification; GIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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