THIRTY YEARS OF LAND-USE AND LAND-COVER CHANGE IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, NIGERIA GEOSPATIAL EVIDENCE AND PLANNING IMPLICATIONS
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Abstract
Objective: This study quantifies land-use and land-cover change in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria, from 1992 to 2022 and interprets the planning significance of the observed transitions.
Method: Four classified spatial datasets were harmonised to a common 9,918.75-hectare extent and six classes: waterbody, sparse vegetation, dense vegetation, built-up area, bareland and wetland. The archived workflow used remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, Random Forest classification, field validation and post-classification comparison. Because the source record did not report a confusion matrix or class-specific accuracy, no numerical accuracy claim is made.
Results: Tabulated outputs show dense vegetation declined from 950 to 525 hectares, while built-up land increased from 1,287.5 to 1,437.5 hectares. Wetland expanded by 281.25 hectares over the full period, sparse vegetation declined slightly, waterbody remained unchanged and bareland appeared after 2002. Strong inverse temporal correlations between built-up land and dense vegetation were descriptive rather than causal.
Implications: Planning should protect remaining vegetation, scrutinise conversion fronts, maintain drainage and wetland functions, and institutionalise periodic geospatial monitoring.
Contribution: The article reconciles internally inconsistent summary percentages by prioritising the complete tabulated series that balances to the mapped study-area total in every year and transparent interpretation for future monitoring.
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