By: Adeoye F. P.;
Abstract:
Forests regulate carbon storage, biodiversity, and local microclimates, which are central to Nigeria’s climate change mitigation agenda. However, there is dearth of information on the effect of varying disturbances on the microclimate of Gambari Forest Reserve. Therefore, this study examines the vegetation disturbance and associated microclimatic shifts as indicators for guiding sustainable management.
Landsat imageries of 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024 were obtained from United State of Geological Survey (USGS) and was used to derive the Vegetation Indices (VIs), such as; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), while Climatic Variables (CVs), which include temperature and precipitation data, were sourced from NASA POWER. Correlation analysis was carried out between the VIs and CVs.
The results of this study indicate that temperature has a negative relationship (-0.50) with NDVI and (-0.42) with SAVI, suggesting that higher temperatures are associated with reduced vegetation cover and greenness, while precipitation exhibited a weak and inconsistent negative association with the vegetation indices SAVI (-0.25), and NDVI (-0.04). Declining vegetation health alongside an increase in temperature and shifting precipitation indicates that forest disturbance is undermining Gambari’s microclimatic stability.
Integrating continuous remote sensing and climate monitoring into Nigeria’s forest management framework is critical for mitigating climate change impacts, safeguarding ecosystem services, and sustaining rural livelihoods.
Keywords: Forest disturbance; Climate change; Gambari Forest Reserve; Vegetative Disturbance ; Remote Sensing
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