ABSTRACT

Land use changes in Uyo Urban Area were analyzed using aerial photographs taken from 1969 — 2001 which use was complemented with the Quick bird satellite imagery for 2004. The objectives of this study were to: interpret and digitize remote sensing data for Uyo Urban Area for the periods 1969, 1978, 1988, 2001 and 2004; evaluate the land use changes that had taken place in Uyo Urban Area over the periods of the study; determine the effect of population density and per capita income on some principal land use classes in Uyo Urban Area; and to assess the impact of land use changes on the Uyo Urban environment. Along the remote sensing technology, the geographical information system (GlS) technology was applied to carry out this research. Field studies were also carried out and ANOVA, t-test and regression analyses were applied to arrive at appropriate results. Agricultural and forestlands continually dropped in land area during the period while industrial lands, institutional, residential and transportation lands recorded increases in land areas. Reclassifying the land uses into built-up and non-built-up lands revealed that the built-up lands constantly rose while tJe non-built-up lands kept dropping. The rate of loss of land by agriculture stood at 0.33% between 1969 and 1978, 2.24% between 1978 and 1988, 58% between 1988 and 2001, and 4.26% between 2001 and 2004. Meanwhile, commercial land improved at a rate of 23.30% between 1969 and 1978, 24.57% between 1978 and 1988, 70.42% between 1988 and 2001, and 2.34% between 2001 and 2004. The built-up lands increased by 40.34% between 1969 and 1978, 5.63% between 1978 and 1988, and 111.45% xvi between 1988 and 2001 and 0.16% 5etween 2001 and 2004 at the expense of the non-built-up portion of the town. The non-built-up lands fell by 11.40% between 1969 and 1978, 2.52% between 1978 and 1988, 54.08% between 1988 and 2001 and 0.36% between 2001 and 2004. The largest quantity, percentage and average annual rates of gains or loses of land were made between 1988 and 2001. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the individual land uses for the periods of the study revealed that at p < 0.05, there was a significant difference in the individual land uses for the period under review. Simple regression analysis of population density and per capital income against the following dependent variables: the builtup lands, the non-built-up lands, agricultural, forest, residential lands, revealed that population density had no significant effect (with r2of 0.26, 0.10, 0.11, 0.09, and 0.08) respectively on all the dependent variables. Per capita income had significant effect on the dependent variables with r2values of 0.58, 0.58, 0.57, and 0.58 except the residential land use that had an r2value of 0.40. The multiple regression analysis of population density and per capita income on the dependent variables, all showed significant effects on the dependent variables except the residential land on which the effect was insignificant. This was given by the following R2values: 0.69, 0.69, 0.69, 0.69 and 0.48 respectively. The fieldwojk revealed that land use changes have caused many environmental problems in Uyo Urban Area and created some benefits to the inhabitants of the town. The Government, people and non-governmental organizations (NOOs) in Akwa lbom State should co-operate to assist in mitigating the environmental problems in Uyo Urban Area.