{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T14:00:57Z","timestamp":1784815257670,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Koozakar LLC","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JEPSD"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Rapid urbanisation, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development are increasingly transforming peri-urban landscapes in Nigeria, with major implications for vegetation stability, land-resource governance, and rural livelihood systems. In the Gombe Metropolitan Region, understanding long-term vegetation-cover change through geospatial evidence is critical for explaining land-use transitions and their possible effects on rural development and population redistribution. Thus, this current study examined vegetation cover change in the Gombe Metropolitan Region from 1990 to 2024, with emphasis on the relationship between land use\/land cover (LULC) dynamics and vegetation decline. Multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery (TM, ETM+, and OLI\/TIRS) and geospatial analysis techniques were used to classify LULC and track vegetation-cover shifts for 1990, 2004, and 2024. Supervised maximum likelihood classification was performed in ERDAS Imagine, with overall classification accuracies of 85.6%, 87.2%, and 89.4%, and Kappa coefficients of 0.82, 0.84, and 0.87 for the respective years. Results showed a substantial decline in vegetation cover from 97.31 km\u00b2 in 1990 to 66.21 km\u00b2 in 2004 and 42.36 km\u00b2 in 2024, representing a total loss of 54.95 km\u00b2 (56.5%) over 34 years. This decline coincided with rapid urban expansion, agricultural conversion, and infrastructural development, while built-up areas increased from 10.36 km\u00b2 in 1990 to 44.47 km\u00b2 in 2024. Because the study did not directly measure demographic or livelihood indicators, implications for rural development and population dynamics are interpreted from LULC evidence and supported by secondary census and agricultural literature. Ongoing vegetation loss and land degradation may intensify biodiversity decline, soil erosion, and pressure on peri-urban livelihoods. The study recommends targeted reforestation in high-loss zones, stronger land-use regulation, sustainable urban planning, and climate-adaptation strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.69798\/59711597","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T13:07:26Z","timestamp":1784812046000},"page":"25-34","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Vegetation Cover Change and Land Use\/Land Cover Dynamics in the Gombe Metropolitan Region, Nigeria: Implications for Rural Development and Population Distribution"],"prefix":"10.69798","volume":"2","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8474-8111","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kim","family":"Idoma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Gombe State University, Gombe, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-1901-4327","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jeje","family":"Gabriel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-4908-5040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Auwal","family":"Nafisat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gombe State University, Gombe, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"50185","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"container-title":["Journal of Ecopolitics, Peace, and Sustainable Development"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T13:07:26Z","timestamp":1784812046000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/koozakar.com\/journals\/article\/KJ-79797788"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.69798\/59711597","relation":{},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]}}}