Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

The Nigerian environment changes from time to time. This change is attributed to man’s anthropogenic activities of utilizing nature’s resources to meet his needs and climate variation. This study assesses the land cover dynamics and the impact of climate between 1986 and 2018 in North-East and South-West of Nigeria. Aqua MODIS NDVI C6 on a geographical mapping grid at approximately 250m and LANDSAT imageries (30m) from the U.S. Geological Survey to assess land cover change were used while the climate data was derived from CHIRPS (0.05o). Based on the spectral characteristics analysis of the MODIS images, five distinct eco-regions for Nigeria were established and land cover change detected. Subsequently, two hotspots were identified and selected for further analysis. The Landsat images were used to characterise land cover change in these hotspots. Findings show that in Nigeria (2003-2017), there is a decrease in the Desert (3.3%) in the dry season and further decreased (3.5%) in the rainy season, while in the North-East of Nigeria (1987-2018), there is an increase in the Woodland/Gallery Forest (3.51%) and a decrease in Sand Dunes (3.42%). In the South West (1986-2016), there is a decrease in the Open Forest (33.8%) and an increase in the Built-up area (22.8%).