ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ON LANDUSE AND LANDCOVER CHANGES IN ENUGU URBAN AREA SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assesses the impact of Population Growth on Land use and landscover changes in the Enugu Urban area in Southeast Nigeria. The specific objectives are to; determine the effect of Birth (Natality) Rate on Land use and landscape changes and examine the effect of Migration on Land use and landscape changes in the Enugu Urban area in Southeast Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was used for this study. A questionnaire designed with a five-point Likert scale was used to collect data for the study. SPSS 28.0 using regression analysis was used to analyzed the data. The result revealed that the Birth (Natality) Rate has a significant positive effect on Land use and landscape changes in the Enugu Urban area with a value of (5.311; p-value =0.013), and Migration has a significant positive effect on Land use and landscape changes in the Enugu Urban area with a value of (0.991; p-value=0.001), Southeast Nigeria. The study concludes that Population Growth has a significant effect on Land use and landscape changes in the Enugu Urban area in Southeast Nigeria. The study recommended developing and implementing a comprehensive urban planning framework that anticipates future population growth and guides sustainable land use