AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACTS OF LANDUSE TRANSITION ON NIGERIA'S NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The previous three decades have seen a dominance of spatial correlates of land use change in the global, national, local and supra-local contexts. In land use change scenarios and government policy formulations, the intricate linkages between anthropogenic land use change drivers and naturally occurring land use change have been critical. In order to examine the changes in 12 different land cover classes in Nigeria between 1995 and 2016, the study employed Landsat images. During the analysis period, the study also used the GDP and the Composite Consumer Price Index (CCPI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as indicators of economic development (1995-2016). The changes in economic development indicators and the change in land cover underwent Pearson’s correlation analysis. Results showed that Nigeria lost 733,729 hectares each year between 1995 and 2006 to non-forest-based land cover; between 2006 and 2016, 133,893 hectares of forest-based land cover were lost annually. Between 1995 and 2006, the yearly growth rate of CCPI was 4.9, whereas between 2006 and 2016, it was 12.7. Even though the Pearson’s coefficient values were low, they nonetheless demonstrated a connection between Nigeria's economic growth and vegetation reductions. The study concluded that there should be a balance between economic development and the need for conservation. The solutions proffered by UNFCCC to reduce emissions and carbon trade should consider the need for economic growth and the micro-economic development of poor African nations.