TITLE:
Dynamics of Forest Landscape Transition across Protected Areas in the Niger Delta from 1986 to 2014
AUTHORS:
Alex O. Onojeghuo, Ajoke R. Onojeghuo
KEYWORDS:
Remote Sensing, Forest Reserves, Change Detection, Protected Area
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.3 No.7,
September
1,
2015
ABSTRACT: The overall
aim of this study was to conduct a spatially explicit study of forest cover
changes across 13 selected protected areas (PAs) across the study area using a
combination of satellite remote sensing and ground data. The objectives of the
study included: determine the spatial extent of forest landscape for selected
PAs using three epochs of satellite imagery (1986, 2000 and 2014); determine
the spatial extent and rates of forest transition over two 14-year periods
(1986 to 2000 and 2000 to 2014); and provide a comprehensive summary of current
forest landscape status in the study area. The results indicated that the
spatial extent of forest landscape for the 13 FRs was 522,164, 481,870 and
457,651 hectares in 1986, 2000 and 2014 respectively. The forest cover
transition for the two 14-year periods investigation showed a larger percentage
of forest landscape across the 13 FRs were more affected by deforestation in
comparison to afforestation. The overall annual deforestation rates for the PAs
were 0.82% and 0.68% for 1986 to 2000 and 2000 to 2014 time periods. The annual
afforestation rates for both 14-year periods were 0.38% and 0.39% respectively.
Based on the results being obtained there was an urgent need to review the ways
forest reserves and national parks in Cross River state were managed. The
promotion of forest conservation was vital to the preservation of existing
forest landscapes and endangered wildlife, such as the Cross River Gorilla gorilla and Nigeria-Cameroon
chimpanzees. The role of community participation with the assistance of
government and conservation organizations would prove effective in forest
monitoring activities across the state. In conclusion, results of this study
showed the potential of incorporating satellite remote sensing and ground truth
data for better understanding the spatial dynamics of forest cover in PAs
across the Niger Delta region.