Land use/land cover and climate change interaction in the derived savannah region of Nigeria

The interaction of land use/land cover (LULC) and climate change, to a large extent, involves anthropogenic activities. This study was carried out in the derived savannah of Nigeria, a delicate, transition ecological zone between the rainforest and savanna zones where the interaction of LULC and climate change could be well appreciated. Using the remote sensing and GIS, Land Change Modeler (LCM), and multivariate geostatistics tools, the study evaluated coupled interaction between LULC and climate change and assessed the changes in the land use/land cover patterns for the periods 1972, 1986, 2002, and 2019. It also evaluated the present (1941–2019) and future (2020–2050) variability in rainfall patterns and made an attempt to predict the interaction between LULC and climate change in future climate. The results suggest that the urban (built-up) area, waterbody, woodland, and farmland experienced a rapid increase of about 2,400%, 583%, 277%, and 32%, respectively, while the forest cover lost about 39% between 1972 and 2019. Furthermore, the study predicted 46% and 29% reduction in the forested area between 2002 and 2050 and 2019 and 2050, respectively. The study concludes that rainfall will be the major driver of LULC change within the study area under a future climate.