Assessing the Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on Land Cover in Guinea Savannah Region of Nigeria Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Data

This paper examines changes on natural landscape as a result of anthropogenic activities in Nigeria. To achieve that an areas was selected within the guinea Savanna region of the country. Land sat Data were obtained for 1986, 1999 and 2006 and Land use land cover images were produced from the three data sets. The study established a decline in natural vegetation from 308, 941.48 hectares in 1986 to 278, 061.21in 1999 and then to 199, 647.81 in 2006. Consequently cultivated area continue increasing from 259, 346.80 hectares in 1986 to 312, 966.27 hectares in 1999 and then to 341.719.92 hectares in 2006. There was also gradual increase of built up areas. In addition bare surface and rock out crops also increases due to reduction in vegetative cover which give raise to weathering processes. The paper concluded that there is drastic lost of vegetatative cover and high weathering process due to the fact that more rocks out crops were exposed to the surface. Therefore there is the need to protect and preserved forest cover in the region because anthropogenic activities such as fuel wood gathering, charcoal production and farming activities is seriously putting pressure on the already decline state of the vegetative cover.