LAND USE LAND COVER TRANSFORMATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AROUND THE KANO ANCIENT CITY WALL, NIGERIA (1994-2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10/3303/jees.2026.0301/042Keywords:
Land use/land cover, environmental degradation, urbanization, Kano Ancient City Wall, heritage conservationAbstract
This study examines Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) transformation and associated environmental degradation around the Kano Ancient City Wall (KACW) over a thirty-year period (1994-2024). Using multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery, field observations, and semi-structured interviews. Results revealed dramatic landscape transformation: built-up areas increased by 44.86% (from 11.75 km² to 17.47 km²), vegetation declined by 72.75% (from 4.33 km² to 1.36 km²), and water bodies decreased by 76.47% (from 0.74 km² to 0.04 km²). Accuracy assessment achieved an overall accuracy of 85.0% for 1994, 83.0% for 2004, 84.3% for 2014, and 86.0% for 2024, with corresponding Kappa coefficients of 0.796, 0.769, 0.786, and 0.809, respectively. The average Kappa coefficient across all four periods was 0.790 (79.0%), indicating substantial classification agreement. These changes have increased flooding risks, groundwater depletion, urban heat island intensification, biodiversity loss, and reduced tourism potential. The near-total loss of water bodies has eliminated critical groundwater recharge zones, with static water levels declining 4-27.6 meters in certain areas. The study concludes that unchecked urbanization around heritage structures creates cascading environmental consequences that extend beyond the immediate site boundaries. Recommendations include integrated environmental-heritage planning, restoring green infrastructure, and adopting climate-resilient conservation strategies.
References
Araoka, W., Hokoi, S., Ogura, D., Iba, C., Li, Y., & Hu, S. (2017). Deterioration and preservation of city wall in Nanjing. In 11th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics (pp. 11-14). Trondheim, Norway.
Barau, A. S. (2007). The great attractions of Kano: Assessing anidolic daylighting system for efficient daylight in open plan office in the tropics. MR CITY Lab—Millennials and resilience: Cities, innovation, and transformation of youths’ laboratory. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3958.9922
Barau, A. S., Maconachie, R., Ludin, A. N. M., & Abdulhamid, A. (2015). Urban morphology dynamics and environmental change in Kano, Nigeria. Land Use Policy, 42, 307-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.08.009
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Li, Y., Xia, C., Wu, R., Ma, Y., Mu, B., Wang, T., Petropoulos, E., & Hokoi, S. (2021). Role of the urban plant environment in the sustainable protection of an ancient city wall. Building and Environment, 187, 107405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107405
Mohammed, M. U., Hassan, N. I., & Badamasi, M. M. (2019). In search of missing links: Urbanization and climate change in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 11(3), 309-318. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2019.1603154
Muhammad, A. S., Halliru, S. L., & Ibrahim, S. (2024). Geographical analysis of ecotourism resources for sustainable tourism development in the Kano region, Nigeria. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Review, 7(6), 512-528. https://doi.org/10.37602/IJSSMR.2024.7625
National Population Commission. (2023, July 5). NPC gives update on Nigeria’s population growth rate. Daily Post. http://dailypost.ng/2023/07/05/npc-gives-update-on-nigeria-population-growth-rate
Osiboye, O. O. (2018). Ancient Kano city walls and gates: Tourism and economic resources [Unpublished master’s Dissertation]. Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Federal College of Education Bichi.
Tijjani, Z. A., & Aliyu, A. A. (2017). Conservation, traditional architecture, and Kano ancient city walls and gates. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 6(12), 1945-1950. https://doi.org/10.21275/ART20177816
Umar, U. M., Umar, N., & Bello, U. M. (2023). Spatio-temporal analysis of vanishing Kano city wall. Northwest Journal of Social and Management Sciences, 4(1), 253-270.
UNESCO World Heritage Center. (2022). World Heritage Site management guidelines. UNESCO. https://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines/
Usman, M., Nichol, J. E., Abdallah, A. M., & Bilal, M. (2025). Characterizing the urban heat island in a low-rise indigenous city using remote sensing. Urban Climate, 61, 102433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102433
