Author(s)

Nchia Peter Ghong^1*, Ngwa Martin Ngwabie¹, Godswill Azinwie Asongwe², Arnold Chi Kedia³, Cheo Emmanuel Suh^4,5

¹Department of Agriculture and Environmental Engineering, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon.
²Department of Environmental Science, University of Buea, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon.
³School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
⁴Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon.
⁵Economic Geology Unit, Department of Geology, University of Buea, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon.

This work investigated the land-use/land-cover and some physico-chemical properties of the soils of Mt Cameroon and presented same in maps. ArcGIS Pro mapping software, Landsat images, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) coordinates collected from the field combined with updated shape files from competent services were used to produce the location and land-use/land-cover maps. Sixteen topsoil samples (0 - 20 cm) were collected, 4 from each land use/cover category: farmland, forest, plantation and settlement, and analysed for soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), bulk density, moisture content and soil texture, in the laboratory using standard analytical procedures. This data was used to produce spatial distribution maps using ordinary kriging, in ArcGIS Pro. The main terrestrial land use/cover categories comprised of the forest (mangrove, lowland, montane and sub-montane), agroforestry, plantations, grassland, settlement, cropland, shrubby savannah, and bare lava. Bulk density showed the highest values in settlement areas and least values under forest land-use categories. Soil moisture content exhibited a reverse trend compared to that of soil bulk density. Forest soils were the sandiest while soils in plantation agricultural land were the most clayey. The soils were slightly acidic to neutral with soils from agricultural land being more acidic (pH_(water) = 5.43). It is discernible from the results that the conversion from forest to other land use/cover classes enhances soil degradation and that soil physico-chemical properties adequately serve as indicators of soil quality in the Mt Cameroon area.

Geographic Information Systems, Geostatistics, Land-Use, Mt Cameroon, Soil Quality, Thematic Maps

Ghong, N. , Ngwabie, N. , Asongwe, G. , Kedia, A. and Suh, C. (2023) An Assessment and Geostatistics of Land-Use and Selected Physico-Chemical Properties of Soils in the Mount Cameroon Area. Journal of Geographic Information System, 15, 244-266. doi: 10.4236/jgis.2023.152013.