IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i2p389-d1590101.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Land Use and Land Cover Changes: A Case Study in Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Olanrewaju H. Ologunde

    (Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Mordiyah O. Kelani

    (Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta P.M.B. 2240, Nigeria)

  • Moges K. Biru

    (Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Abdullahi B. Olayemi

    (Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria P.M.B. 1044, Nigeria)

  • Márcio R. Nunes

    (Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Global Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

Abstract

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) assessment is vital for achieving sustainable ecosystems. This study quantified and mapped the spatiotemporal LULC changes in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria, between 2015 and 2023. The LULC was classified into water, forest or thick bush, sparse vegetation, built-up, and bare land using Landsat images. Processing, classification, and image analysis were done using the ESRI ArcGIS Pro 3.3. LULC changed from 2015 to 2023, with built-up areas and sparse vegetation increasing by 138.2 km 2 and 28.7 km 2 , respectively. In contrast, forest or thick bush, which had the greatest change among the LULC classes, decreased by 153.7 km 2 over this period while bare land and water bodies decreased by 9.5 km 2 and 3.8 km 2 , respectively. Forest or thick bush (201.0 km 2 ) was converted to sparse vegetation, which reflects an increase in agricultural activities in the region. The conversion of about 109.8 km 2 of vegetation and 3.7 km 2 of water bodies to built-up areas highlights considerable urbanization. Overall, the increase in the built-up area highlights the need for sustainable land use practices to balance urban growth with ecological preservation, achievable through effective management and policy frameworks.

Suggested Citation

  • Olanrewaju H. Ologunde & Mordiyah O. Kelani & Moges K. Biru & Abdullahi B. Olayemi & Márcio R. Nunes, 2025. "Land Use and Land Cover Changes: A Case Study in Nigeria," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:389-:d:1590101
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/389/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/389/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sunday Opeyemi Okeleye & Appollonia Aimiosino Okhimamhe & Safietou Sanfo & Christine Fürst, 2023. "Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Migration and Food Security of North Central Region, Nigeria," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-23, May.
    2. Taylor Smith & Niklas Boers, 2023. "Global vegetation resilience linked to water availability and variability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Maomao Zhang & Enqing Chen & Cheng Zhang & Chen Liu & Jianxing Li, 2024. "Multi-Scenario Simulation of Land Use Change and Ecosystem Service Value Based on the Markov–FLUS Model in Ezhou City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-23, July.
    4. Sonam Wangyel Wang & Belay Manjur Gebru & Munkhnasan Lamchin & Rijan Bhakta Kayastha & Woo-Kyun Lee, 2020. "Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection and Prediction in the Kathmandu District of Nepal Using Remote Sensing and GIS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Srijana Shrestha & Khem Narayan Poudyal & Nawraj Bhattarai & Mohan B. Dangi & John J. Boland, 2022. "An Assessment of the Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on the Degradation of Ecosystem Service Values in Kathmandu Valley Using Remote Sensing and GIS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Emmanuel Damilola Aweda & Appollonia Aimiosino Okhimamhe & Rotimi Oluseyi Obateru & Alina Schürmann & Mike Teucher & Christopher Conrad, 2024. "Assessing the Impacts of Migration on Land Degradation in the Savannah Region of Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Zidao Lu & Maomao Zhang & Chunguang Hu & Lianlong Ma & Enqing Chen & Cheng Zhang & Guozhen Xia, 2024. "Spatiotemporal Changes and Influencing Factors of the Coupled Production–Living–Ecological Functions in the Yellow River Basin, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-24, November.
    4. Feifeng Jiang & Kwok Kit Richard Yuen & Eric Wai Ming Lee & Jun Ma, 2020. "Analysis of Run-Off-Road Accidents by Association Rule Mining and Geographic Information System Techniques on Imbalanced Datasets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-32, June.
    5. Muhammad Majeed & Aqil Tariq & Muhammad Mushahid Anwar & Arshad Mahmood Khan & Fahim Arshad & Faisal Mumtaz & Muhammad Farhan & Lili Zhang & Aroosa Zafar & Marjan Aziz & Sanaullah Abbasi & Ghani Rahma, 2021. "Monitoring of Land Use–Land Cover Change and Potential Causal Factors of Climate Change in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan, through GIS and Multi-Temporal Satellite Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Chunying Ning & Rajan Subedi & Lu Hao, 2023. "Land Use/Cover Change, Fragmentation, and Driving Factors in Nepal in the Last 25 Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, April.
    7. Sujarwo & Aditya Nugraha Putra & Raden Arief Setyawan & Heitor Mancini Teixeira & Uma Khumairoh, 2022. "Forecasting Rice Status for a Food Crisis Early Warning System Based on Satellite Imagery and Cellular Automata in Malang, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Jamila Ngondo & Joseph Mango & Ruiqing Liu & Joel Nobert & Alfonse Dubi & Heqin Cheng, 2021. "Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) Change Detection and the Implications for Coastal Water Resource Management in the Wami–Ruvu Basin, Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-23, April.
    9. Díaz Baca, Manuel Francisco & Moreno Lerma, Leonardo & Triana Ángel, Natalia & Burkart, Stefan, 2024. "The relationships between land tenure, cattle production, and climate change – A systematic literature review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    10. Nguyen Hong Giang & Yu-Ren Wang & Tran Dinh Hieu & Nguyen Huu Ngu & Thanh-Tuan Dang, 2022. "Estimating Land-Use Change Using Machine Learning: A Case Study on Five Central Coastal Provinces of Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    11. Shravankumar Shivappa Masalvad & Chidanand Patil & Akkaram Pravalika & Basavaraj Katageri & Purandara Bekal & Prashant Patil & Nagraj Hegde & Uttam Kumar Sahoo & Praveen Kumar Sakare, 2024. "Application of geospatial technology for the land use/land cover change assessment and future change predictions using CA Markov chain model," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(10), pages 24817-24842, October.
    12. Xia Wang & Junjie Xu & Duowen Mo & Hui Wang & Peng Lu, 2025. "Vegetation, Architecture, and Human Activities: Reconstructing Land Use History from the Late Yangshao Period in Zhengzhou Region, Central China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, February.
    13. Cheechouyang Faichia & Zhijun Tong & Jiquan Zhang & Xingpeng Liu & Emmanuel Kazuva & Kashif Ullah & Bazel Al-Shaibah, 2020. "Using RS Data-Based CA–Markov Model for Dynamic Simulation of Historical and Future LUCC in Vientiane, Laos," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    14. Zaheer Abbas & Guang Yang & Yuanjun Zhong & Yaolong Zhao, 2021. "Spatiotemporal Change Analysis and Future Scenario of LULC Using the CA-ANN Approach: A Case Study of the Greater Bay Area, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-26, June.
    15. Ritu Singh & Suresh Chand Rai & Prabuddh Kumar Mishra & Kamal Abdelrahman & Mohammed S. Fnais, 2024. "Analysis and Future Projections of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Hindon River Basin, India Using the CA-Markov Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-21, December.
    16. Lai, Chengguang & Sun, Haowei & Wu, Xushu & Li, Jun & Wang, Zhaoli & Tong, Hongfu & Feng, Jiajin, 2024. "Water availability may not constrain vegetation growth in Northern Hemisphere," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    17. Jae Hyun Kim & Shinyeong Park & Seung Ho Kim & Eun Ju Lee, 2021. "Long-Term Land Cover Changes in the Western Part of the Korean Demilitarized Zone," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-18, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:389-:d:1590101. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.