Land-use patterns and plant community structure in the peri-urban environs of Lokoja, Kogi state, Nigeria: an integrated field and NDVI assessment, 2015 to 2025

Rapid urbanisation is transforming natural vegetation on the fringes of medium sized Nigerian cities, yet the flora of these zones is rarely documented. This study assessed plant community structure in relation to land use in the peri-urban fringe of Lokoja, Kogi State, by combining field surveys at three sites, namely Zango, Ganaja and Banda, with a dry season Landsat 8 NDVI record spanning 2015 to 2025. Along one transect of 2 km at each site, trees and shrubs were counted in twenty plots o