Modelling Urban Green Spaces Depletion in Akure, Nigeria

MICHAEL AJIDE OYINLOYE1, CHIAMAKA LOVELYN OLISA2, BABATOPE SUNDAY OLISA3

1,2 Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Federal University of Technology, Akure, NIGERIA.

3Department of Transport Management Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, NIGERIA

Abstract: The fast progress of urbanization and the accompanying dominance of concrete spaces over

natural spaces are fundamental to current debates on urban planning and sustainable development in Nigeria

and the world at large. It is worth noting that natural landscapes and greenery are critical to man's quality

of life; yet, the majority of the population are going to reside in urban areas, to the detriment of urban green

Grasses and Shrubs, Light Vegetation, Secondary Vegetation, and Dense Vegetation. The rate of depletion

of green areas, change statistic, socio-economic implication as well as planning implications were

addressed. It is believed that assessing and analyzing its social, economic, and environmental impacts on

urban inhabitants and their livelihoods would serve as a tool to educate and enlighten urban citizens about

the need of including green space scheme into urban designs and planning in Akure.

accelerating, with cities currently housing the

majority of the world's population. Cities and

their decision-makers face numerous complicated

challenges today in balancing urban expansion

and its environmental impact. Consequently, the

demand for new infrastructure construction is

expected to increase commensurately (Dreiseitl,

Wanschura, Wörlen, Moldaschl, & Wescoat,

2016); in the view of this, land and space

developments in cities have led to complex

construction of buildings, roads, transportation

terminals, bridges, land reclamation, and concrete

platforms are taking the place of greens

(vegetation). Complex population changes,

urbanization dynamics, climate change, and

environmental degradation have all become

important challenges that urban planners must

address immediately. In a rising climate, urban

environmental stresses are exacerbated by

population growth and the induced development

developments of urban areas. There is need to

maintain a balance in the land use allocation and

planning as city grows and alters its urban

planning and management strategies remain

largely underdeveloped (Omole, Enisan,

Adeniran, & Adebisi, 2018). According to

Olanrewaju and Oyinloye asserted that livability

constitutes one of the failures of Nigeria urban

centers and this is blamed on the “process of our

development (Olanrewaju & Oyinloye, 2018).

is a rapid process of urbanization and subsequent

domination of concrete spaces over natural

development (Rakhshandehroo, Mohdyusof,

Tahirholder, & Yunos, 2015). However, Owoeye

& Ibitoye (2016) revealed that the existing Master

plan of Akure was produced in 1980 and has

become inactive, old, and superseded; they

suggested that a review of the comprehensive

regional plan to guide the development and

spatial growth of the entire region (Owoeye &

Ibitoye, 2016).

Urban Green spaces in Akure took a back seat and

distribution, quantity, quality, accessibility, lack

of intended purpose and stakeholder

participation. In this study, green spaces are seen

as publicly accessible and private green space,

natural or incidental green space (remnants of

native vegetation). Examples of these elements

include grassed areas, rain gardens, trees, shrubs,

gallery forest, parks and vegetated waters. The

escalating depletion of urban green spaces is of

global major concern; hence the need for policy

makers and planners in emphasizing and adopting

Liu, Xiu, & Song, (2019) opined that earth

systems are urbanized at an unsustainable pace,

ecosystems and biodiversity undergo large-scale

destruction and human well-being is threatened

(Liu, Xiu, & Song, 2019). Due to this

phenomenon, urban areas are experiencing

unprecedented challenges which are the resultant

effects of urbanization progression; in this case

Akure is no exception. The study aims to monitor

the long-term sustainability of nature and people

living in urban area and achieving the Sustainable

Development Goals, especially Goal 11. This

study also assesses the urban green spaces with a

view of developing a model showing changing

patterns of green depletion in Akure metropolis

and determining the rate of green space depletion

in the study area.

Akure is the study area of this research work. The

spatio-temporal pattern of green spaces in Akure

metropolis covered a period of 38 years (between

1984 and 2022). 1984 was chosen as the base year

for this study due to the availability of imagery in

the archive (Landsat Images, United State

Geologic Survey). Akure is a city situated in the

south-western Nigeria, and is the largest city and

capital of Ondo State. Akure is a city in Nigeria

located on longitude 5.081 to 5.487 decimal

degree and latitude 7.078 to 7.436 decimal

degree, with a population of 360,268 persons in

2006). The vegetation type of Akure is forest

vegetation, which is categorized as: forests,

Gallery forests and Forest reserves. In these

forests, typical rain forest trees such as

Mahogany, Obeche, Iroko, Afara, etc. are present

and used for timber. Other economic trees include

African pear, Bamboo, Raffia palm, Oil palm,

Orange, Mango and Coconut. The persistent

clearance of the vegetation in and around Akure

has led to the development of derived forest

The study is interested in modelling the changing

patterns of green space depletion in Akure. The

study deployed method of analysis which include

map analysis involving geo-data collection and

analysis of spatio-temporal pattern of green

spaces. The sources of data used for the study

Akure were acquired for 1984, 1991,2002, 2015

and 2022 and processed. The processes included

image composition, rectification, enhancement

and classification. These satellite imageries

underwent process of image classification in

order to complement the visual analysis of the

image data with quantitative techniques for

automating the identification of features in the

study area. For the purpose of this study, attention

was focused on analysis of greens and non-green

a Maximum Likelihood analysis was successful

after creating six classes of interest with training

sample area per class. These included: built-up,

bare surface, grasses and shrubs, light vegetation,

Secondary vegetation, and dense vegetation

categories as regions of interest. Descriptive

analysis was done to present change detection

results and other the change statistical data.

The study uncovered changes in Akure

study spanned 38 years, as demonstrated by the

tables1 and maps of 1984, 1991, 2002, 2015, and

2022. However, the total area of each class was

computed. Table 1 shows a breakdown of the

area coverage in terms of percentages of

vegetative cover and built-up area under

consideration.

Table 1: Estimation of area coverage of Green space classes and built-up area between

1984 and 2022.

Source: Field work, 2022

The total land area of the study is 179.4015sqkm

covering the nine political wards bouudaries in

Akure metropolis. The study is subjected to

capturing the landuse/landcover attributes within

revealed that the built-up area was 6.99%

(12.531sqkm) of the total area covered

(179.4sqkm) in 1984; dense vegetation had the

largest percentage land cover with 38.34%

10.30% (18.474sqkm) of the total landmass of the

1984 and this can be attributable to dominance of

vegetative covers in Akure. Akure was found to

be an agrarian region where huge population

depended on farming/agricultural practices. It is

in the history that the engagement of the people

of Akure in cocoa, oil palm and yam farming

were very significant due to their traditions and

culture.

Figure 4 shows the image classification of green

space attributes and their spatial distribution in

the study area (Akure) in 1984. The figure depicts

a concentric picture of image classes having the

built-up area at center surrounded by

grasses/shrubs, light vegetation, secondary and

dense vegetation consistently; with few bare

surface areas. The image indicated high

prevalence of green spaces in Akure as at 1984.

years. As shown in table 1 as at December, 1991.

Built-up area had covered 11.63% (20.87sqkm)

of the total area of the Akure metropolis. This

showed a significant reduction of grasses and

shrubs area coverage, light vegetation and

secondary vegetation. Figure 5 shows appearance

of more bare surface area with 2.1.51%

35% (62.79sqkm) in 1991. The massive loss of

area coverage in the light vegetation was gained

to light vegetation; hence, secondary vegetation

lost some square kilometres of land to the light

vegetation.

Grasses and shrub class lost some coverage of

land to built-up area; Secondary vegetation lost

large portions of landcover to the light vegetation;

this shows a significant drift and encroachment

into vegetation reserves (dense and secondary

vegetation). However, this can be attributed to

increase in physical development being triggered

by urbanization and population density. The

figure 5 shows the extent of built-up

encroachment and the depletion of green spaces

in the study area. The built-up area had a

significant spread onto the grasses and shrubs as

well as light vegetation areas initiating

appearance of bare surface areas such as open

grounds, rock outcrops and stones features in red

color as shown in figure 5. The chart indicates

significant variations in the previous years’ data

result and the year 1991 findings where light

influx of people into farming practices due to

stress on the economy, thus, dense vegetation was

encroached into, tall and canopy trees were

destroyed, as well as cocoa plantation and

replaced with arable farm crops. Light vegetation

expanded and spread into secondary vegetation,

while the secondary vegetation also enlarged into

the dense vegetation. However, due to land

clearance, physical development and cultivation,

rock outcrops and bare land surface were exposed

vegetation; while light vegetation had a drift and

encroachment onto forest reserves (dense and

secondary vegetation). However, this can be

attributed to increase in physical development

triggered by urbanization and population density.

The rate of vegetation loss in Akure is significant,

which necessitates investigation by those with a

stake in the matter. Figure 6 shows graphical and

spatial representations of the amount of the loss

of green spaces as well as the factors that have

In the year 2015, it was recorded that the built-up

area had a significant change in term of spatial

expansion into light vegetation as well as areas

covered by grasses and shrubs. Cultivated land

are being replaced with building and

construction. Anthropogenic activities caused

disappearance of lots of vegetation cover in the

study area as shown in the figure 7. The built-up

especially on the species of plants and trees in the

forest. It is important to note that the current pace

of vegetative extinction caused by humans is

believed to be higher than the background rate of

extinction that was likely caused by farming and

cultivation methods in the past. This is in

agreement with Adel Moatamed (2021), who

claimed that urbanization caused by economic

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