APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) TO ANALYSE THE IMPACT OF LAND USE ON THE WETLANDS IN PORT HARCOURT AND OBIO/ AKPOR L.G.A. RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

The study area is in verge the state of wetlands extinction due to over utilization and lack of regulations that will ensure effective management of its resources. The study areas: Port Harcourt and Obio/ Akpor L.G. As are undergoing rapid urban and industrial expansion due to available natural resources and these activities have degraded the wetlands which hither-to represent the source of living for the people. This study investigated the impact of land use/ land cover on wetlands in Port Harcourt and Obio/ Akpor L.G. As using GIS and remote sensing approach. The study was conducted using Landsat satellite image of 2000, 2007, and 2013 to analysed change in land use/ cover as a result of the aforesaid activities. The supervised classification method in ENVI 5.0 software was adopted and change detection analysis was computed in order to examine change in land use that has impacted on wetlands habitat. The change results show percentage decrease in water body by -0.39% from 2000 to 2007 and - 0.70% from 2000 to 2013, built-up areas also increased by 11.95% from 2000 to 2007 and 28.47% from 2000 to 2013. Similarly, wetlands decreased by -13.52% from 2000 to 2013. Therefore, it was concluded that urbanization in built-up, industrial, and dredging activities are the main causes of wetlands loss in the area with most wetlands being converted to built-up areas and dredged sites. The study justified the ability of remote sensing and GIS software for modelling wetlands change over these periods.