DEGRADATION AND DEPLETION OF FOREST RESOURCES CASE STUDY: OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Occurrences of disasters in the last two decades have increased drastically around the world and left some noticeable ecological imbalances in the environment caused either by nature or human activities. Disaster can be traced to the dynamics of natural hazards, global climate change, rise in sea level, but more often than not, its causal factor is largely human impact on the environment. Over the years, human activities have resulted in local extinction of most species of plants and animals, and other microbial populations (Hobbs R.J. et al, 2006:2). Forest covers helps to protect the land surface from erosion and keep the soil compact, serves as wind break and also shelter belts for agricultural purposes and the depletion of these forest covers has implication for Global warming. To avoid the total “disruption” of the ecological balance however, ecological management and conservation needs to be employed. This paper therefore aims to study the changes in the forest cover in Oyo State, the trend in the depletion of forest vegetal cover over time, and to suggest ways on how to manage forest resources to ensure sustainability in the use of forest resources. To understand the rate of forest cover depletion in the state, an analysis of the vegetation satellite images between 1986 – 2010 was carried out using unsupervised classification with ERDAS IMAGINE. In this study, the evidence of encroachment into the forest and imbalance in its vegetation was articulated and ways to achieve management and sustainability of forest for future generation suggested.