Time-Series Assessment of Vegetation Structure and Compositional Changes of Wawa-Zange Forest, Gombe, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54987/bessm.v7i2.908Keywords:
Vegetation composition, Wawa-Zange, Grazing Reserve, Landstat, Normalized Difference Vegetation IndexAbstract
This study aimed to assess the vegetation changes and sustainability of the Wawa-Zange grazing reserve. The study reported the vegetation composition and changes through time (1975-2020) for the entire Wawa-Zange grazing reserve, one of the world's largest grazing reserves. Multi-temporal satellite imageries were acquired from the USGS Earth Explorer collection of Landsat data series and employed in this study. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) technique was used to delineate forest and non-forest areas. ArcMap was used to elucidate the transition of the reserve. The result obtained from the study showed that the reserve has changed, owing to the spread of agricultural boundaries, overgrazing, and deforestation. During the study period, the non-vegetation area expanded from 3.88 percent to 46.74 percent, while the agricultural area increased by 37 percent. This approximately 50 percent decline in vegetation cover indicates a significant decline in β-diversity at large spatial scales. It was observed that by 2030, the reserve could lose 67% of its vegetation cover. To stop land conversion and unsustainable agricultural practices, strict legislative frameworks and regulations should be implemented. Sustainable land management techniques like agroforestry and reforestation should also be encouraged.
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