Influence of Urban Growth on Landuse/Cover in Umuahia, Abia State Nigeria

Understanding land use/landcover change (LULC) dynamics is very important in sustainable land resource management. This is especially so for developing countries of the world where majority of the people depend heavily upon natural resources for survival. In this study, moderate spatial resolution Landsat images were freely downloaded from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) archives for 4 decadal dates of 1991, 2001, 2001 and 2021 for Umuahia town, which became capital of Abia state of Nigeria in 1991. The images were analyzed in ERDAS Imagine 14 and ArcGIS 10.2 software environments to generate LULC statistics for the 4 dates. Post classification comparison algorithm was used to generate LULC change trends from 1991 to 2021. Key informants interviews and direct field observations were used to identify the main drivers of LULC change in the area. The results show that, the town has undergone significant LULC changes since its designation as Abia state capital in 1991. The extent changes for the various LULCs over the 30 year period (1991 to 2021) have been Built-up (+233%), Bareland (-34%), Woodland (45%), Uncultivated Farmland (-62%), Burnt Woodland (630%) and Agricultural land (-25%). Water Body did not undergo change over the period. It was concluded that though urban growth has promoted some degradation trends in the town, it has promoted increases in urban woodland areas which could go a long way in promoting climate change mitigation, as well as human health and comfort in the town. It was recommended that there is the need to promote deliberate reforestation efforts boost development in urban woodlands.