Environmental sustainability ensures that minerals are responsibly exploited to meet the present needs without depriving the future generations the ability to meet their needs. Unfortunately, environmental sustainability and artisanal mining seems unattainable in recent years with aggressive mining operation.It is on this premise that geospatial techniques with proven role in environmental studies were employed to assess the environmental sustainability due to artisanal mining in Jos Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Land surface temperature (LST) and seven (7) geospatial indices used for land use land cover (LULC) estimation were generated. The mean LST values showed a steady increasing pattern from 23.98 ºC to 25.88 ºC and 29.46 ºC in 1984, 2002 and 2020 respectively. The mean value of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) depicts a considerable increase from 0.179 in 1984 to 0.458 in 2002 and a slight decline to 0.438 in 2020. This is congruent with the mean Optimised Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (OSAVI) values in 1984, 2002 and 2020 which were 0.149, 0.359 and 0.355 respectively. The resulting maps from Modi ed Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) revealed a consistent decline in the mean values (-0.349, -0.391 and − 0.411) in 1984, 2002 and 2020. The results revealed that Jos Area is not densely vegetated, while waterbodies were declining. Built-ups and bare lands also followed the same trend of a surge from 1984 to 2002 and a decline from 2002 to 2020. This study provided essential input and referential information for proper decision making on environmental sustenance, environmental management, and mineral resource conservation.
HighlightsMinerals are crucial for promoting economic development and sustaining quality of life and the functionality of today's society.Land cover changes resulting from artisanal mining activities, have serious consequences on the local environment and thus need dynamic monitoring to ensure environmental sustainability.The methods, tools and products of artisanal mining are peculiar in nature when compare to other type of mining due to their simplicity and crudeness.The abundance or lack of various land cover are assessed by generating geospatial indices.Pro ts should not be prioritized at the detriment of the environment despite the apparent and prevailing global economic challenges, rather palpable balance should be maintained.