Analysis of Influences of Population Increase on Landuse Land Cover Change in Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria
E. N. Gandapa
Abstract
Landuse land cover is subjected to continuous changes due to diverse and fluctuating human activities of the increasing population. The types of data required are landmass, population size, landuse land cover such as agricultural land, built-up area, bare land, water body and vegetation cover, and area covered by each. To determine the influences of population size on changes in agricultural land, built-up area, bare land, water body and vegetation cover the magnitude of each was divided by the population size to determine the per capita. Data on landmass was generated from topographic map; population size from National Population Commission; and landuse land cover and magnitude of each from landsat imageries. The imageries were analyzed using diverse GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. The results indicate magnitude of landuse land cover varied from 11.58%, 6.96%, 1.25% and 19.79% for agricultural land, bare land, built-up area and vegetation cover respectively. Likewise, population size increase by 10.82% while land per capita decreased by 7.74m2 for the period under study. Result of simple correlation between population size and agricultural land, bare land, built-up area, water body and vegetation cover indicate 58%, 35%, 94%, 58% and 19% as percentage of determination. The result indicate with increase in population size by 10.82% leads to increase in density with 69 persons per km2 and land per capita decreased by 14.49m2. The result implies with increase in population size lead to change landuse land cover.