Evaluating the Effects of Real Estate Development in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria: Emphasizing Changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC)

Analysis of the impacts of real estate development on biodiversity within the confines of Imo State, Nigeria, was the main objective of this study. The investigation included a look at how land use and land cover (LULC) changed between 2017 and 2022. The study made use of Sentinel-2 image with a spatial resolution of 10 m. The research team used supervised classification algorithms to classify the imagery, which were then compared to find changes in land use and land cover (LULC). The following categories apply to the land use and land cover (LULC) of the study area: In 2017, trees accounted for 58.84 % of the total land surface and covered the most land, covering an area of 315.05 km². The amount of developed land, or 30.23 % of the total land area, was assessed to be 161.84 km². Approximately 61.91 % of the entire land surface in 2018, or 331.47 km², was covered by arboreal vegetation, which dominated the landscape. Comparatively, urbanised regions made up 177.41 km², or 33.14 % of the total land area. With trees making up 59.434 % or 318.22 km² of the total land area in 2019, trees were found to be the most prevalent kind of land cover. Concurrently, built-up areas accounted for 34.30 % of the land, or 183.66 km². The LULC map for 2020 showed a comparable pattern, with trees covering 58.46 % (equivalent to 313.02 km²) of the total land area and built-up areas covering 34.71 % (equivalent to 185.88 km²). According to the research, the impact of real estate development on the environment is primarily negative, resulting in habitat depletion, ecosystem fragmentation, and the introduction of pollutants. The researchers advised using sustainable development practises to mitigate the aforementioned negative effects.