Land Cover Change and Forest Management Strategies

This study assessed the spatio-temporal change of vegetation in Ile-Ife natural reserve between 1986 and 2014; and examined the existing forest management strategies adopted in the area. It also examined the role of the forest management strategy on the level of change in land cover within the area. These are with a view to determining the influence of anthropogenic factors in forest degradation in the area.The study used both primary and secondary data. The primary data consisted of a set of questionnaire ¿ backed up with interview sessions with the forest guards and delegates of the management team of the Ile-Ife natural reserve. It also made use of the coordinates (x, y) of selected features and land area that were obtained using handheld Global Positioning System (GPS). The coordinates of features in the study area were used to geo-reference the multi - date (1986, 1999, 2000 and 2014) images of the area.