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ABSTRACT
This study utilized Landsat satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine to map and detect land cover changes in Edo State, Nigeria from 2014-2022. Supervised classification and image differencing methods were used. The land cover classifications for 2014, 2018, and 2022 had high accuracy, with overall accuracies above 85% and Kappa coefficients exceeding 0.90. The change detection analysis showed substantial urban expansion from 2014-2022, with urban areas increasing by over 40% between 2014-2018. From 2018 to 2022, urban areas increased by 10,263.6 sq km. The landscape composition changed markedly, with urban areas expanding and converting over 1,400 sq km of non-urban land. Rangelands decreased from 50% to 34% of total land as urban areas encroached into rural lands. The quantified land cover changes provide evidence of considerable impacts of uncontrolled urbanization. Loss of agricultural land and natural habitat underscores risks to food security, ecosystems, and rural livelihoods. The Landsat time-series analysis demonstrates the value of remote sensing for assessing urbanization effects to inform growth policies and land management strategies.
