Geospatial Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Dynamics in Wukari–Donga, Taraba State, Nigeria: Implications for Erosion Vulnerability

Abstract

-Land-use/land-cover (LULC) change is an important component of landscape transformation and may influence environmental conditions relevant to soil-erosion vulnerability. This study assessed the spatial and temporal dynamics of LULC in the Wukari – Donga area of Taraba State, Nigeria, for 2000, 2010 and 2024, and examined their potential implications for erosion vulnerability. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery, supported by Sentinel-2 imagery for training-sample identification and verification, was processed in ArcGIS Pro. Seven LULC classes — water, trees/savanna woodland, flooded vegetation, cropland, built-up area, bare ground and rangeland — were mapped using supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification. Area statistics, percentage changes and cross-tabulation were used to assess the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of the classes. In 2024, rangeland was the dominant class, covering 4,249.71 km² (60.94%), followed by cropland (1,285.25 km²; 18.43%) and trees/savanna woodland (1,240.68 km²; 17.79%). Between 2000 and 2024, tree/savanna woodland declined by 52.76% and cropland by 30.66%, whereas rangeland increased by 75.08%. Built-up area, bare ground, flooded vegetation and water bodies increased by 2,077.56%, 3,595.26%, 587.17% and 31.85%, respectively, although the large relative increases in built-up area and bare ground reflected their very small initial extents. LULC change was not uniform: cropland and tree cover increased between 2000 and 2010 but declined substantially during 2010 – 2024, while rangeland followed the opposite trajectory. The results demonstrate substantial landscape reorganization and identify changes in vegetation, cultivated and exposed surfaces that may influence erosion vulnerability. The findings provide a geospatial basis for sustainable land-use planning and soil-resource management in the Wukari – Donga area.