Dynamics of landuse/landcover and its implication on fauna species habituation in Mbaav 1 forest reserve, Nigeria
Authors/Creators
- 1. Department of Wildlife and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria
Description
The study utilized Landsat imageries of 1985 and 2000 (Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)), 2010 (Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+)) and 2020 (Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI)) to examine the trends in landuse/landcover dynamics in Mbaav 1 Forest Reserve. Percentage changes in landuse/landcover types for the years were determined. The analysis indicates that dense forest area which covers 1.50 km2 at 86.93% of the total area of the forest in 1985 has been converted to other landuse. In the year 2020 virtually most of the dense forest area has been transformed owning to rapid increase in land clearing for farming purpose. For 35 year period (1985-2020), dense forest areas experienced a continues decline of about 17.49% cover lost annually to other land cover/ land use types especially agricultural lands. This indicated a negative drive on the fauna species of the forest as large portions of the habitat are completely lost.