Land-Use Land-Cover Dynamics of Malam Aminu Kano and Murtala Mohammed International Airports in Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47514/kjg.2025.07.01.021Keywords:
Land-use, Landcover, DynamicsAbstract
The increasing demand for efficient transport systems has necessitated airports to evolve into modern facilities in line with global best practice, coupled with the competition over scarce resources have altered the land cover in many airports around the world. This study examines the Land-use and Land-cover (LULC) dynamics of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Nigeria from 1982 to 2022. Using a combination of multispectral Landsat imagery and high-resolution satellite data, the research evaluates the extent of land conversion driven by infrastructure expansion, cropland development, and population growth using supervised classification. The results reveal significant reductions in forest cover and grasslands, with infrastructure and cropland as primary drivers. At MMIA, forest cover decreased by 29%, while cropland expanded by over 1,000%. MAKIA recorded a 43% loss in cropland, largely replaced by infrastructure. The findings highlight the environmental trade-offs of airport development, particularly the decline in vegetation and biocapacity, which pose sustainability challenges. This study emphasizes the need for policy interventions, such as vertical infrastructure expansion and reforestation, to mitigate the ecological impacts of airport growth. The research contributes valuable understandings into the interplay between aviation development and land use changes in Nigeria.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Aliyu Haidar Abubakar, Dr Ibrahim Audu, Prof. L.F. Buba (Author)
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