EFFECTS OF BUILT-UP AREAS ON VEGETATION COVER IN CHIKUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Changes in built-up areas and vegetation cover are inevitable process driven by the short- or long-term human needs. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of built-up area on vegetation cover over 35 years in Chikun Local Government Area. Idrisi TerrSet was used to perform a supervised maximum likelihood classification of the imagery. The results showed that built-up expansion contributed to substantial changes in the vegetation cover, which declined significantly from 3,224 km² (66.34%) in 2007 to 2,998 km² (61.69%) in 2012. While built-up areas increased 278 km² (5.72%) to 317 km² (6.52%) during the same period. The detected trend in vegetation cover indicates a gradual increase to 3,138 km² (64.57%) in 2017 and 3,446 km² (70.91%) in 2022, suggesting potential vegetation restoration efforts or natural regrowth in certain areas. However, juxtaposed with this trend is a noticeable increase in built-up area from 402 km² (8.27%) in 2017 to 415 km² (8.52%) in 2022, likely driven by population growth, urbanization, and infrastructure development. These findings highlight the importance of sustainable land use planning to achieve a balance between development and environmental conservation in the area.