Spatial Transformation and Land Cover Dynamics in a Peri-Urban Corridor: A 30-Year Geospatial Analysis of Religious Tourism Impact in Mowe-Ibafo, Nigeria

@article{1713336,
      author = {Paul Oluwadamilola Owoyemi},
      title = {Spatial Transformation and Land Cover Dynamics in a Peri-Urban Corridor: A 30-Year Geospatial Analysis of Religious Tourism Impact in Mowe-Ibafo, Nigeria},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2025},
      volume = {8},
      number = {10},
      pages = {1606-1614},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1713336.pdf},
      abstract = {This study investigates the spatio-temporal land use and land cover (LULC) changes driven by religious tourism in the Mowe-Ibafo corridor, a peri-urban axis along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria, between 1990 and 2020. Utilizing multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery (ETM+), the research employed supervised classification and derived spectral indices (NDVI, NDBI) to quantify and visualize urban expansion and vegetation loss. The findings reveal a systematic conversion of vegetated and agricultural lands to built-up areas, with forest/wetland and farmland declining by 26.05 sq km and 10.95 sq km, respectively, while built-up areas expanded by 54.34 sq km. Regression analyses confirmed a strong negative correlation (R? up to 0.991) between the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), statistically validating that urban growth directly reduces green cover. Accuracy assessments yielded an overall classification accuracy of 88% (Kappa = 0.84). The study attributes this rapid spatial transformation to the agglomeration of mega religious camps, which have acted as urban growth poles, attracting ancillary development. The paper concludes that unplanned faith-based urbanism, while economically stimulative, poses significant challenges for sustainable land management, ecosystem services, and climate resilience in peri-urban regions. It underscores the urgent need for integrated spatial planning that incorporates religious tourism as a key driver of land change in sub-Saharan African cities.},
      keywords = {Religious Tourism; Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) Change; Peri-Urbanization; Remote Sensing; GIS; NDVI; NDBI; Urban Growth Poles; Nigeria.},
      month = {April},
  }