Abstract:
The study assessed the effect of landuse change on forest resources in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Landsat imageries of 1986, 2000 and 2017 were used for the analysis. The imageries were categorized into different classes using maximum likelihood supervised classification module. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis. Findings showed that thick vegetation has decreased from 142.90 km2 in 1986 to 20.62km2 in 2017. However, built up area increased from 33.20 km2 to 159.96km2 in 2017. Findings also showed that landuse extent for individual land use/ land cover varied significantly in 1986, 2000 and 2017 at p<0.05. The study concluded that landuse change has impact on forest resources in Ikot Abasi LGA. It is recommended that anthropogenic activities currently effecting reduction in the size of forest cover should be controlled; and forest management and conservation strategies should be put in place so that forested areas that need to be protected can be protected and preserved |
