MAPPING THE GAINS, LOSS AND NO CHANGE OF WETLAND AREA IN THE YENAGOA CITY PLANNING AREA

Abstract

Wetlands are very important resource that provide variety of eco-system services to the urban resident’s collective resource and are largely considered as urban commons that should be managed in a sustainable manner for today’s use and for future generations to utilize. Yet fewer studies have focused on the gains, loss and no change of wetland that makes it appropriate for spatial management, and policy interventions. This study draws on the concept of urban commons to highlight on the spatial distribution of wetland and spatial change of the loss, gains and no change of wetland in the Yenagoa City Planning area between the study period of 1996 and 2021. The three epoch of 1996 and 2004, 2004 and 2012, and 2012 and 2021 which is based on four time series Landsat satellite imageries of 1996, 2004, 2012 and 2021 of Bayelsa State downloaded from United States Geological Survey website repository. Findings from the study show that the gains, loss and no change of wetland show that between the periods 1996 to 2004, 2004 to 2012, 2012 to 2021, wetland areas were respectively converted to builtup as 5082ha (7.09%), 2460ha (3.43%) and 5999ha (8.36%). The study attributes most of the changes in wetland area to unchecked infrastructural development as result of rapid urbanization. The study recommended amongst others that a geospatial mapping of wetlands should be conducted in Yenagoa to ensure listing and cataloging of wetlands.