EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON VEGETATION IN MINNA METROPOLIS: GIS APPROACH

Purpose: The growth of urban areas is one of the major factors that leads to cutback of vegetation. This paper is set to assess the effect of urbanization on vegetation cover in the Minna metropolis, Niger State, Nigeria.Design/Methodology/Approach: The remote sensing Quick Bird satellite images of Minna for the year 2010, 2015 and 2020 were used to obtained land use information change. Remote Sensing Data Image (RSDI) was processed using GIS Arc Map 10.1 for digitization and calculation of built up areas and the land use change. Two neighborhoods were chosen for examination and analysis, Tayi village neighborhood and old Advanced Teachers’ College (ATC) layout; presently called Zarumai New Extension Neighborhood, all in Minna, Nigeria.
Findings: It was found that study areas have grown double between 2010 and 2020, speedy urban development due to population increase led to massive de-vegetation, as at 2010 the built up area in Tayi was 20%, but by 2020 built up area has increased to 46% while in old ATC in 2010 was 30.8% but as at 2020 the built-up area has grown to 82.8%. Research limitation/implications: In evaluating the influence of urbanization on vegetation in the study areas, selected neighborhoods were examined by segmenting eleven years into two at the interval of six years and five years, that is, 2010 to 2015 and 2016 to 2020 respectively. Therefore, the gradual effect of urbanization on vegetation was examined from 2010 to 2020.Originality and Value: The study revealed that, the method of land acquisition is through customary and informal purchase, less concentration was given to open space development and management and the relationship between built up areas and vegetation cover was opposite, as built-up areas enlarged, the vegetation covers decreased.