Geospatial assessment of two prominent protected areas in Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20094970Keywords:
Remote Sensing, GIS, Evapotranspiration , Biomass, Land Cover, Land Use , Baturiya and Yankari Game ReservesAbstract
This paper investigated temporal changes in vegetation and hydrological systems in Yankari and Baturiya game reserves in Nigeria over twenty years (2002–2022). While numerous studies exist in these areas, none have conducted a comprehensive geospatial assessment. Here, we compared land use and land cover (LULC), evapotranspiration (ET), and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using remote sensing methods such as Landsat and MODIS images. The results showed agricultural land being replaced by wetlands and waterbodies, with variable trends in vegetation and bareland. ET rates, an indicator of hydrological activity and vegetative productivity, showed spatial and temporal variation with an overall increasing trend over the 20 years. NDVI analysis demonstrated gradual improvement in vegetation health and recovery in both reserves. These findings are important for sustainable management and conservation planning and highlight the need for continued ecological monitoring.
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