Remote Sensing Analysis of Forest Cover Loss in Okomu Forest Reserve, Edo State

Protected forest reserves in Nigeria face relentless encroachment pressure from agricultural expansion, logging, and settlement activities, threatening biodiversity, carbon stocks, and ecosystem services. This study analyses forest cover loss in the Okomu Forest Reserve in Edo State, South South Nigeria, using multi-temporal Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 imagery for the period 2016 to 2024. Supervised classification using a Random Forest algorithm is applied to delineate dense forest, degraded forest, agricultural land, and bare earth classes. Post-classification change detection identifies forest loss pixels and quantifies cumulative deforestation area and annual loss rates. Spatial analysis of encroachment patterns characterises the directional advance of agricultural clearing relative to the reserve boundary. Validation using high-resolution Google Earth images yields an overall classification accuracy of 88.2 percent. Results reveal a total loss of 4,700 hectares of dense forest cover within and immediately outside the reserve boundary over the eight-year study period, with the western and northern boundaries experiencing the highest encroachment pressure. Community proximity and road access are identified as primary spatial predictors of encroachment intensity. The study contributes spatial monitoring intelligence to the Okomu National Park Service and the Edo State Forestry Commission for adaptive management and boundary enforcement strategies. Keywords: deforestation, forest reserve, remote sensing, Okomu, Edo State.