Assessing Drivers of Habitat Quality Changes in the Niger River basin, Nigeria

Habitat quality serves as a vital indicator in the restoration of regional ecosystems. However, there is limited knowledge of the role of both natural and human factors and the extent of their impacts. This study used land use land cover data for four epochs (1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022) and environmental factors to assess habitat quality via the InVEST habitat quality model. Fragstats 4.3 was used to evaluate habitat fragmentation, whereas the GeoDetector model was used to explore the driving factors of habitat quality changes in the Niger River Basin. The results revealed a significant increase in built-up areas and a slight reduction in ecological lands. The study also revealed that the overall habitat quality in the basin significantly decreased by 1.29% between 1992 and 2022. With respect to habitat fragmentation, this study revealed an increase in the number of habitat patches and the Euclidean nearest neighbor distance (ENN). For the drivers of habitat quality, the q value for factor detection via GeoDetector revealed that land use changes had the greatest influence at 0.99, followed by temperature (0.38), rainfall (0.38), and relative humidity (0.38). DEM, slope, vegetation, and distance to roads had weak effects on habitat quality. These results provide a benchmark for habitat quality assessment, ecosystem protection, and restoration in the Niger River Basin of Nigeria. This study recommends the implementation and enforcement of ecosystem protection and restoration, and the development of sustainable agricultural practices is critical for maintaining an ecological balance between habitat quality and economic growth.