Assessment of Trends of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for Sustainable Urban Greening in Minna Town and Environs, Nigeria

This study investigated the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of Minna town and environs and its implication for a sustainable green city. The NDVI is an extensively adopted remote sensing (RS) index to measure the health and density of vegetation. Data for this study were calculated using satellite imagery and were derived from the reflectance measurements in the red (R) and near-infrared (NIR) sections of the electromagnetic spectrum. The data sources for the NDVI were derived from Landsat 8 and that of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The results showed that in 2001 NDVI was between -0.553753 and 0.633774 with a variation of -0.080021 with more appearance in the north-east and north-western sections (Minna, Bosso). In 2013, NDVI was between -0.513136 and 0.817815 (-0.304679 range) with low vegetation density in the north-western section (Mai Kunkele) and south-western section (Gungwapi). In 2023, NDVI recorded -0.290313 and 0.697357 (-0.407044 range) concentrating on the north-eastern section (Gurunsi). The findings showed that NDVI rose from the interior of the city to the surrounding outskirts. The study recommended tree planting and urban greening as critical mitigation strategies to curb the menace of urbanization in Minna town and environs.