An assessment of the trend of deforestation and its impact on the changing climate in North Central Nigeria
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Date
2020
Authors
Olanrewaju, R. M.
Tilakasiri, S. L.
Aro Joseph, K.
Malik, N. A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract
Deforestation has become a major environmental issue in the world today especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where forest wood is worth more to people than their wellbeing in the long run. Thus, the forest cover is constantly depleted due to its use as fuel and in the manufacture of paper and charcoal. Nigeria has the world's highest deforestation rate of primary forests according to revised deforestation figures from the Global Forest Resources Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2015). Between 2000 and 2005 the country has lost 55.7% of its primary forests and is currently estimated to having only 6% of its entire land area covered by forests. Logging, subsistence agriculture, and the collection of fuelwood are cited as leading causes for the forest clearing in the West African country. Deforestation is considered to be one of the major contributing factors to global climate change. This research aims at assessing the trends in deforestation in North Central Nigeria with respect to changes in climatic parameters while also seeking to educate locals on how their actions like deforestation and bush burning are constantly modifying the climate. Changes in the extent of the forest cover were studied over 32 years with a 10-year time step using satellite images obtained from the United States geological survey archive and the Idrisi image analyst software, while climatic parameters for the study area (rainfall and temperature) were obtained from the archive of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Oshodi, Nigeria. The data was analyzed using the trend line equation for the same period. The results of the forest cover change were mapped and overlaid to determine the extent of forest cover change and its implication on changes in climate. The results reveal a decline in rainfall and a rise in Annual temperature averages. The rate of forest depletion was 17.38% between 1987 and 2018 with an additional 30.1% decline in the light vegetation over the same period. Changes in built up areas and densely vegetated forest areas have a highly statistically significant influence of R2above 90% and P-value <0.05 on maximum temperature.
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Keywords
Deforestation , Environmental Management , Climate Change , Nigeria Forest
Citation
Modern Sri Lanka Studies, 2020, XI(1), P 1-21