Spatial Analysis of Socio-Economic Drivers of Gully Erosion and Their Implications for Tourism Development in Cross River State, Nigeria

This study explores the spatial analysis of socio-economic drivers of gully erosion and their implications for tourism development in Cross River State, Nigeria. The researcher identified and categorize the socio-economic activities contributing to gully erosion in selected LGAs of Cross River State and Map and analyze the spatial extent and intensity of gully erosion using remote sensing and GIS tools. The researcher therefore made use of two research questions and two hypotheses in line with the specific objectives of this study A mixed methods design was adopted, integrating spatial analysis of erosion-prone areas, surveys of key tourism stakeholders, focus group discussions, interviews with government officials, and econometric modeling to assess the economic implications of erosion on tourism. Out of the 388 questionnaires distributed, 362 were validly retrieved, representing a 93.3% response rate. analyzed using both descriptive and spatial analytical techniques in line with the research objectives. The analysis was carried out using GIS report, descriptive statistics and simple Linear regression. The findings revealed that socio-economic activities such as deforestation, sand mining, agricultural expansion, urbanization, and infrastructural development are the major drivers of gully erosion in Cross River State. Spatial analysis showed that erosion is both widespread and spatially clustered, with many high-risk zones located close to key tourism destinations. This interaction underscores the strong link between human land-use practices, environmental degradation, and tourism vulnerability. Consequently, gully erosion has led to severe road damage, reduced accessibility, loss of scenic landscape quality, and declining visitor satisfaction, all of which contribute to reduced tourist inflow and weakened tourism performance. The study concluded that weak policy implementation, poor environmental management, inadequate funding, and heavy reliance on land-based livelihoods exacerbate the persistence and severity of erosion. These challenges hinder effective control measures and threaten sustainable tourism development. Sequel to the indings in the study, the researchers recommended among other, the integrated spatial planning and erosion control for tourism sustainability: By this, GIS-based land-use planning approach should be adopted to guide the location and development of tourism infrastructure away from high-risk erosion zones.