An assessment and local perception of sand deposits induced desertification in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Sokoto State is one of the states in Nigeria that are prone to desertification. This study attempts to identify and delimit areas affected by desertification in the three northernmost Local Government Areas of Sokoto State, namely: Illela, Gada and Tangaza. Field study was carried out to verify the incident and occurrence of desertification and the menace of sand deposition. A simple random sampling method with questionnaire, combined with Focused Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews was used to derive the local knowledge about sand transport and deposition, and, its socio-environmental impacts. The Digital Elevation Model of Tangaza, Gada, and Illela Local Government Areas for the year 2008 and 2014 were derived from ASTER images. The result indicated that the Gidan Kaura hill grew by about 30 m within the six-year period. This agreed with an overwhelming belief by 95% of the respondents that the area continues to suffer from sandstorms and sand deposition. This was visibly confirmed by the presence of sand dunes in most of the areas visited in the three local government areas. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index derived from Landsat images of the year 2013 and 2018 gave further insight into the current vegetation conditions.   Key words: Northern Nigeria, desertification, sustainability, geospatial analyses, environmental impacts.