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Coordinated and published by The Grassroots Institute, the Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources (GJNR) is an international journal dedicated to the latest advancements in natural resources throughout the world. The goal of this journal is to provide a platform for scientists, social scientists, policy analysts, managers and practitioners (on all academic and professional levels) all over the world to promote, discuss and share various new issues and developments in different arenas of natural resources.
Ogbobe Gratitude Eziamaka1, Moses Obenade*2, Echem Ogba Samuel3, Iroegbu Ngozi Franca4, Onah Gladys Owere5, Onyeka Stanley Chukwuedo6, Omeri Kelvin Nwachi7, Jacob Parkins Agwu8, Patience Afor Ibeneme9, Sylvester Uchechukwu Ibeneme10
1Department of Disaster Risk Management, Center for Excellence in Environmental Management and Green Energy, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
Email: ogbobeeziamaka@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2170-0021
2Department of Geography, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Email: moses.obenade72@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5234-7190
3Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Email: samchemcolours@gmail.com | ORCID: 0000-0001-9379-6420
4Department of Business Administration, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Email: iroegbufranca023@gmail.com | ORCID: 0009-0004-0774-4392
5Department of Business Administration, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Email: owere.gladys@funai.edu.ng | ORCID: 0000-0003-4878-4556
6Department of Accountancy, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Email: chukwuedoo@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9575-7626
7Department of Business Administration, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Email: omerikelvin@gmail.com | ORCID: 0009-0006-8354-2738
8Department of Geography, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria.
Email: agwuj70@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9075-9762
9Department of Geography, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria.
Email: patienceibeneme@gmail.com | ORCID: 0000-0002-8169-5072
10Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), Wuye, Abuja, Nigeria.
Email: uchesylvester@yahoo.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0052-5742
*Corresponding author
Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(3): 420-444. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080317
Received: 13 September 2025
Reviewed: 03 November 2025
Provisionally Accepted: 12 November 2025
Revised: 18 November 2025
Finally Accepted: 25 November 2025
Published: 31 December 2025
Deforestation is a major threat to Nigeria’s biodiversity loss and contributor to climate change. This research examines environmental and agricultural impacts of deforestation in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Southeastern Nigeria with the aim of assessing the magnitude of change that has occurred among key environmental components or variables such as water bodies, vegetation, cultivated area, plantation area, bareland, and built-up area in Uzo-Uwani over a twenty years period (2000-2024) using geospatial techniques. The results show that water bodies increased by 1.02 km2 representing a 485.71% change; built-up areas increased by 2.92km2 representing 249.57%, change; vegetation decreased by (-288.77 km2) representing (-49.58%) change; cultivated area increased by 229.33 km2, representing 82.12% change; plantation increased by 55.5 km2 representing 1761.90% change while bareland remains unchanged. The test of change in land use variables reveals that there is significant difference or change in land use between 2000 and 2024 which is evident by the p-value of the test statistic of 0.50 being greater than 0.05, hence at 5% level of significance. It further reveals current land use practices that impact negatively on the environment and also provide evidence-based insights for policy makers in the state. We therefore recommend promoting agroforestry in cultivated expansion zones, or community-based monitoring in plantation areas as well as taking other proactive and remedial measures to conserve and preserve the environment.
Uzo-Uwani; Environment; Agriculture; Ecosystem; Deforestation
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Eziamaka, O.G., Obenade, M., Samuel, E.O., Franca, I.N., Owere, O.G., Chukwuedo, O.S., Nwachi, O.K., Agwu, J.P., Ibeneme, P.A. and Ibeneme, S.U. (2025). Environmental and Agricultural Impacts of Deforestation in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(3): 420-444. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080317
Eziamaka, O.G., Obenade, M., Samuel, E.O., Franca, I.N., Owere, O.G., Chukwuedo, O.S., Nwachi, O.K., Agwu, J.P., Ibeneme, P.A., & Ibeneme, S.U. (2025). Environmental and Agricultural Impacts of Deforestation in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(3), 420-444. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080317
Eziamaka O.G., Obenade M., Samuel E.O., Franca I.N., Owere O.G., Chukwuedo O.S., Nwachi O.K., Agwu J.P., Ibeneme P.A., Ibeneme S.U. Environmental and Agricultural Impacts of Deforestation in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2025, 8 (3), 420-444. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080317
Eziamaka, Ogbobe Gratitude, Obenade, Moses, Samuel, Echem Ogba, Franca, Iroegbu Ngozi, Owere, Onah Gladys, Chukwuedo, Onyeka Stanley, Nwachi, Omeri Kelvin, Agwu, Jacob Parkins, Ibeneme, Patience Afor, Ibeneme, Sylvester Uchechukwu. 2025. “Environmental and Agricultural Impacts of Deforestation in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 no. 3: 420-444. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080317
Eziamaka, Ogbobe Gratitude, Moses Obenade, Echem Ogba Samuel, Iroegbu Ngozi Franca, Onah Gladys Owere, Onyeka Stanley Chukwuedo, Omeri Kelvin Nwachi, Jacob Parkins Agwu, Patience Afor Ibeneme and Sylvester Uchechukwu Ibeneme. 2025. “Environmental and Agricultural Impacts of Deforestation in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 (3): 420-444. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080317
| Internet Archive: | https://archive.org/details/m-00617 |
| WorldCat: | https://search.worldcat.org/title/11063259685 |
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