Spatio-Temporal Changes of Land Use / Land Cover Classes in the Urban Wetland Area of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyzes land use /land cover changes (LULC) using landsat5 TM, landsat 7 ETM and landsat OLI images of 1990,2000, 2010 and 2020.Through this study, the pattern of urban expansion for 30 years has been studied and changes in the distant future (30 years from now) have also been predicted. The satellite images covering the area were acquired and analyzed using ArcGIS10.3 and ENVI 5.0. A total area of 13741.4 hectares was delineated in the study area which is identified as Yenagoa’s urban area. After processing the imagery, four land use/land cover LULC classes where developed, and the results shows that Built-up area continuously increased in land area from 1990 -2020 with total %change of 273.31%(4178.7Ha) and total annual rate of change of 25.33 ,Vegetation over have total %change of 38.55% (974.34Ha) and total annual rate of change of 3.85, wetland cover loss with total %Change of -61.96%(-5144.99Ha) and total annual rate of change of -6.19, and the water body have loss of total % of -2.16% (-8.05Ha) and total annual rate of change of -0.22. The study recommended that actual monitoring of wetland be employed using modern techniques such as GIS and Remote Sensing and also the traditional methods of conserving wetland ecosystem with appropriate wetland laws and legislation policies for sustainable management in conservation of wetland ecosystem.