NATURE OF GULLY EROSION ON LIVELIHOOD IN NASARAWA SOUTH, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Residents of Nasarawa South have expressed concern over accelerated erosion rates. These concerns address not only the loss of personal property, but also that gully erosion is causing functional and structural damage to infrastructures such as culvert outlets and roads within the stream channels, public and private structures along the channel as well as retarding the social and economic growth and development of the inhabitants. Therefore, this study examines nature of gully erosion on livelihood in Nasarawa South, Nasarawa State, Nigeria (2015-2025). The study was built within the framework of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). Information/data for the study was generated from both primary and secondary sources. Key Informant Interview and questionnaire were employed as instruments for primary data, while for secondary method, sources like research papers, policy papers, documents, journals, magazines, seminars, workshop papers and handbook were utilized. The study found that in both Doma and Lafia towns, the mapped gully erosion-prone sites share common locational factors such as; proximity to major and minor roads, indicating the influence of road-induced runoff; closeness to hydrological lines and natural drainage systems, highlighting the role of surface water in gully initiation; association with densely populated or built-up areas, where land cover change and urban expansion might reduce vegetation cover and increase soil exposure. It was revealed that these patterns suggest that anthropogenic activities such as urbanization, inadequate drainage design, and improper land use planning, coupled with natural factors like topography and hydrology, are key contributors to the spatial distribution of gully erosion in the study areas. The study recommended that the State Ministry of Environment should embark on perception mapping. The advantage could be harnessed by decision-makers to make quick and concise decisions.