A study on the temporal dynamics of vegetation cover in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study focused on the effects of human activities on vegetation dynamics in Enugu State, Nigeria using five land cover classes: forest,  green areas, bare land, water body and built up area. Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed for the study. The vegetation  maps of Enugu State for years 2000, 2010 and 2020 was generated using Landsat TM at 1000m resolution. Results generated were subjected to Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the rate of deforestation was calculated using the FAO formula. From  the results for year 2000, the percentage change of forest recorded 80.38% of the total land, green areas constituted 10.87%, bare land  constituted 6.87% while water body and built-up area accounted for 1.78 and 0.09% respectively, and was in decreasing order; Forest >  green areas > bare land > water bodies > built-up, with forest as dominance. In 2010, the percentage change in forest cover constituted  47.25% and 37.33% in 2020, with 2010 > 2020. Result showed that average of 87.22% of the respondents indicated human activities as the  major causes of deforestation, with the rate of deforestation constituting 4.2%. Therefore, environmental education becomes a panacea  in maintaining a good relationship between man and nature, hence sustainable forest management for man and his environment.