Spatial Analysis of Political Capital Citation Using Remote Sensing and GIS; A Case Study of Lokoja

Lokoja town, the Kogi state capital is located at the Niger-Benue confluence in the south central part of Nigeria which is about 170 km from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. The town has experience tremendous urbanization changes in its strait location within the elongated Patti Hill and the River Niger – Benue confluence which is a potential zone of conflict between man and the environment. This study therefore uses the Remote Sensing and GIS technique in assessing the pattern of urbanization growtharound the confluence area by generating a land-use/land-cover map from the satellite imageries of Landsat (TM/ETM) of 1987 and 2001 using Arc View 3.3 and Idrisi 32. The study find out that the sandwiching of the town actually support the doctrine of environmental determinism as against the environmental possibilism as new developments are forced toward Kabba and Ganaja roads. River bank encroachment and ecological devastation is also very obvious from the image analysis. Land reclamation for various land uses is on the increase along the Niger River especially along Filele. The image analysis and even visual observation reveal that Patti hill is being eroded by all forms of human development activities with evidences of landslides. This study also shows that peri-urban development is on theincrease where agricultural farm stead is becoming urbanized as seen all around Niger barracks. The study therefore recommended that RS and GIS should be a major tool in spatial urbanization management and in the citation of any political capital in the country.Key Words: Confluence Area, Land/Use, Remote Sensing, Terrain,  Urbanization

Spatio-temporal Change in Land Use and Land Cover: Implications for Conservation of Fina Faunal Reserve in Mali

The natural resources in FINA reserve of Mali are undergoing intense degradation coupled with increased  human pressure on the reserve. Vegetation in this reserve is severely threatened. Existing inventories  regarding such threats are currently out dated. There is, therefore, a crucial need to assess land use and land  cover change in the reserve. The methodological approach in this study has combined LULC change detection  with LULC intensity analysis. Using Landsat images, intensity analysis model was utilised in detecting  changes in land use and land cover in the reserve, and the changes were evaluated in relation to agricultural  activities in the reserve. The results revealed an increase in agricultural land by 2-4% per annum and a  decrease in savannah wood land by 2% per year from 1985 to 2013. Bare land and Savannah woodland were  found to be gradually replaced by agricultural land. The observed transition of vegetation cover to agricultural  land indicates the extent of human pressure on the reserve. Consequently, to preserve these ecosystems,  there is the need to initiate and implement measures aimed at limiting cultivation and other human activities  in the reserve. These measures should integrate food production and forestry, as well as involve rural  community participation through appropriate incentives.Keywords: Land Use and Land Cover Change, Category Level Analysis, Vegetation Dynamics, Fina faunal reserve