Application of Remote Sensing Techniques and GIS for Forest Reserve Degradation Prediction and Monitoring (1986-2015): A Case Study of Omo Forest Reserve, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Remote Sensing Techniques with Geographic Information System can provide dependable information on land use dynamics. This study therefore examines the urban growth effects in Omo Forest Reserve of Ogun State using remote sensing and GIS. Landsat ETM imagery of 1986 and Landsat ETM+ imagery of 2015 was used to identify and classify the assessment of human intervention on Omo Forest Reserve between the study years. A GIS database of the study area and their location within 29years (1986-2015) was generated and analyzed with the aid of GIS analytical functions. These includes: Supervised classification and Spatial Query. The result showed that the intensive rate of human intervention through farming activities in the forest reserve has resulted in the loss of vegetation in the area. It also shows that population growth among communities around the forest imposes a lot of pressure on the forest reserve and the vegetation in the reserve. Forest reserve has suffered seriously and if the present trend of deforestation continues; it is just a matter of time when the whole reserve would have been converted to a bare ground. This research highlights the increasing rate of modification of forest ecosystem by anthropogenic activities and the need to apprehend the situation to ensure sustainable forest management.

Keywords: Urban Growth, Supervised Classification, Spatial Query, anthropogenic activities