Application of Remote Sensing And GIS in Assessing Land Cover/Land Use and its Ecological Impacts in Communities around Erinle/Owala Reservoir in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Humans are the major cause of ecological change around the globe, products for use, shelter, and transforming land to provide food. Land transformation affects many of the planet’s physical, chemical, and biological systems and directly impacts the ability of the Earth to continue providing the goods and services upon which humans depend. The study therefore assessed the ecological impacts of Land Cover/Land Use types in communities around Erinle/Owala Reservoir, Osun State, Nigeria, for the time period 1986-2009 using GIS technology. Data used for the study include and five imageries: Landsat TM 1986, 1991, and IKONOS  2009. The images were digitally processed using ENV 4.7 AND ERDAS IMAGINE software and subsequently classified using the maximum likelihood classification algorithm, which identified six land cover/ use classes including wetland, Forestland, Shrub lands, Settlement, Croplands and other lands. The LC/LU change detection pattern showed a change in the classified Images, after 1986 which resulted in the increase of wetland is clear evidence that a vast area of farmland and forest area has been changed to wetland thus increasing the flooded area pave way for diverse impacts in and around the surrounding communities. This paper therefore highlights the relevance of remote sensing and GIS techniques in assessing the situation in Osun state south-western Nigeria.