EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF LAND USE – LAND COVER ON URBAN EXPANSION; A CASE STUDY OF BENIN CITY FROM 1987 – 2025.

ABSTRACT

Human growth and improvement occur at the expense of our natural resources. The historic metropolis of Benin, the capital of Edo State, Nigeria has been experiencing a surge in population. This study was initiated to evaluate the extent of land use-land cover (LULC) changes over a 38-year period (1987-2025). Methods used for this study include remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques. USGS Landsat information were acquired for 1987, 2002, 2019, and 2025 pre-processed and exported into ARC-GIS platform for further analysis. The consequences of the 1987-2019 LULC classifications have been also used to forecast Benin City's LULC for 2025 using USGS. The results showed that 294.85 km2 of forest lands were lost over a 38- year period (1987-2025), while built-up and barren lands increased rapidly by 199.82 km2 and 80.63 km2 , respectively. By 2025, the built-up area is expected to increase by 45.86 km2 , while barren land is expected to maintain its percentage cover. Grassland increased by 28.28 km2 , while water decreased by 3.23 km2 , both of these classes are expected to decrease by 28.88 km2 and 0.08 km2 by 2025, respectively. The growth in populace and built-up areas in Benin City contributes to deforestation and improved urban warmth, as reduced ecosystem services and biodiversity loss. As a result, it is recommended that the Benin City Urban Planning Authority encourage the planting of decorative bushes, shrubs, and lawns so one can repair greater carbon sequestration to the ecosystem and for that reason lessen global warming.