Geospatial Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Dynamics in Wukari–Donga, Taraba State, Nigeria: Implications for Erosion Vulnerability

Land-use/land-cover (LULC) change is an important component of landscape transformation and may influence environmental conditions relevant to soil-erosion vulnerability. This study assessed the spatial and temporal dynamics of LULC in the Wukari–Donga area of Taraba State, Nigeria, for 2000, 2010 and 2024, and examined their potential implications for erosion vulnerability. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery, supported by Sentinel-2 imagery for training-sample identification and verification, was processed in ArcGIS Pro. Seven LULC classes—water, trees/savanna woodland, flooded vegetation, cropland, built-up area, bare ground and rangeland—were mapped using supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification. Area statistics, percentage changes and cross-tabulation were used to assess the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of the classes. In 2024, rangeland was the dominant class, covering 4,249.71 km² (60.94%), followed by cropland (1,285.25 km²; 18.43%) and trees/savanna woodland (1,240.68 km²; 17.79%). Between 2000 and 2024, tree/savanna woodland declined by 52.76% and cropland by 30.66%, whereas rangeland increased by 75.08%. Built-up area, bare ground, flooded vegetation and water bodies increased by 2,077.56%, 3,595.26%, 587.17% and 31.85%, respectively, although the large relative increases in built-up area and bare ground reflected their very small initial extents. LULC change was not uniform: cropland and tree cover increased between 2000 and 2010 but declined substantially during 2010–2024, while rangeland followed the opposite trajectory. The results demonstrate substantial landscape reorganization and identify changes in vegetation, cultivated and exposed surfaces that may influence erosion vulnerability. The findings provide a geospatial basis for sustainable land-use planning and soil-resource management in the Wukari–Donga area.