Trends in Population Growth and Its Effects on Sustainable Land Uses in Obudu, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Trends in Population Growth and Its Effects on Sustainable Land Uses in Obudu, Nigeria

OKO, P.E.(Ph.D) & Okpiliya, F. I. (Ph.D)

Department of Geography & Environmental Science, University of Calabar, Calabar-Nigeria

Abstract: Population growth is an inevitable process that always initiates the continual transformation and or conversion of land from one use to the other. Land use change is presently being experienced in and around fast growing towns like Obudu in Cross River State. This study used remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems techniques to identify and analyze the extent of the changes in various land uses from the land use map of Obudu and satellite imageries of 1986, 2000 and 2013. The study revealed that there have been rapid increase in the population of Obudu and this development has consistently placed constant pressure on the different land uses, thus causing tremendous transformation in the various land uses in the area. The built up areas expanded more than other land uses covering 5.0, 7.6 and 13.4 percent for1986, 2000 and 2013 respectively. This spatial change in the land uses is affecting the changing functionality of Obudu as a tourist destination in Cross River State and the country at large. There is therefore a need for an update and urgent review of the Obudu Master plan and the enforcement of development control laws in order to avert the negative environmental implications of rapid population growth and changes in the land use patterns.

Keywords: Population growth, land use, satellite imagery, development control, Obudu, Remote Sensing.

I. INTRODUCTION

Human population growth and its impact on the carrying capacity of the environment have long been acknowledged as one of the most pressing and fundamental issue in recent time. Rapid population growth is also a major driving force altering local and regional environment (Ifatimehim, Musa and Adeyemi, 2009). In view of this, most of the environmentalists are of the position that human pressure on the environment (housing, agriculture, road construction activities) is a product of three factors: population, consumption and technology (Akpofure, 2009, Harrison and Pearce 2001). This is because; the state of the environment at any point in time is largely affected by human activities which revolve around production and consumption of goods and services.

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