Abstract
Epe, Ibeju-Lekki areas and Itokin areas of Lagos State, Nigeria both having a population of above 1,000,000, 1,500,000 and 500,000 people respectively were purposively selected due to the existence of wetlands and the occurrence of rapid urbanization without consideration for ecological (ecosystem) balance which is in total disagreement with the SDGs 9, 11 & 15.
Mixed methodology approach was adopted for the study, systematic sampling technique was used.
Observations were taken and interviews were conducted simultaneously, ArcGIS 10 was used to map the geospatial attributes. Descriptive and inferential analysis were done using SPSS 21 software.
About 38% of the respondents agreed that urbanization has led to the loss of wetlands in the area, over 40% agreed that flooding is now a regular occurrence due to the depletion of the wetlands.
The government should ensure strict compliance with laws by effective monitoring of the area and swift enforcement of penalties on offenders should be carried out in order to preserve the wetlands.
Keywords: Built Environment, Urbanization, Deforestation, Land Encroachment, Wetlands.