LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGES AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS IN THE BUEA MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

The recent urbanization trends and changes in land use and land cover have had profound effects
on the natural environment.This research seeks to examine the trends and patterns of LULC
changes over a period of 32 years and their implications on the environment. The study made use
of primary and secondary sources of data.The stratified random sampling technique was used in
the selection of sample sites and the administration of 250 questionnaires. Landsat image files
for the three-time interval were downloaded from the Global Land Cover Facility website and
the various bands were modulated and corrected to reveal land use features using ENVI version
4.3.Change detection and analysis were identified through image differencing in the same
geographical area for the three intervals.The findings revealed that agricultural land use
decreased from 83.8km2 to 60.4km2
, forest cover dropped from 339.24km2 to 330.27km2
,
whereas settlement land use increased from 4.90km2 to 37.36km2 between 1987 and 2019.The
study further revealed that changes in LULC situations in the Buea Municipality have resulted in
a host of environmental problems, namely, pollution, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, water
scarcity and floods. The study recommends anup-to-date master plan for Buea and its effective
implementation. It also suggests that urbanisation and population growth should be matched with
local planning objectives and the involvement of the local population of Buea in developmental
issues.