Application of Geoinformatics In Assessing Landuse Changes Resulting From Deforestation On Selected Variables In Parts of Kogi East, Nigeria.

Abstract

Decline in forest structure and quality prompted the study, essentially to examine the spatial effects of
deforestation on the edaphic components of the environment of Kogi East, Kogi State, Nigeria. It
focused specifically on soil and vegetation, while it assessed the implication of the destructive
interference by humans with the natural ecosystem based on the results of preliminary investigation.
Results showed thatt in many parts of the study area, substantial hectares of the forest landscape had
been primarily logged and abandoned. Over a 100,000 hectares of vegetation cover was lost
annually, most of which were deliberately removed to make way for agriculture, mineral exploitation,
urbanization and expansion of settlements, among others. Reforestation efforts reportedly
replenished only 25,000 hectares. In order to investigate this trend, Classified Satellite Imageries of
Kogi state covering 1990-2010 were acquired to assess land use information. The process involves
land use mapping and the detection of changes using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Additional
land use information were acquired through field observation and theoretical survey. When
categorized and analyzed, the four main land use components (soil, vegetation, water and the built
environment) covered in this study demonstrated significant effects relationship with deforestation.
Implicatively, the results of this analysis shows that there had been significant increases in the effects
of these land uses on the forest landscape thus resulting in forest depletion, soil degradation and
observed destruction of the ecosystem. It was thus concluded that land use practices in the study area
must be carried out within the limits of forestry standard for a sustainable forest management.