Rainfall-adjusted vegetation trends and environmental drivers across Nigeria's drylands (2000–2020)

About this dataset

This dataset accompanies the manuscript *"Rainfall-adjusted vegetation dynamics and non-climatic drivers across Nigeria's drylands"* and contains the processed geospatial data used to assess long-term vegetation change across northern Nigeria between 2000 and 2020. The dataset comprises Local Government Area (LGA)-level annual observations derived from Google Earth Engine using publicly available remote sensing products. Vegetation dynamics were quantified from MODIS MOD13Q1 annual maximum NDVI after applying a dynamic annual vegetation mask generated from the MODIS MCD12Q1 land-cover product. Annual rainfall totals were derived from CHIRPS, while population data were obtained from the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), and forest loss was calculated from the Hansen Global Forest Change dataset. Cropland extent was estimated annually from MODIS land-cover classifications. The repository includes: * Annual LGA-level NDVI, rainfall, cropland area, natural vegetation area, and total area (2000–2020). * LGA-level population estimates for 2000, 2010, and 2020. * Cumulative forest-loss area (2001–2020) for each LGA. * LGA boundary GeoJSON used for spatial analyses. * Derived rainfall-adjusted vegetation trend (RESTREND) estimates calculated using Theil–Sen slope estimation. * Summary tables used in the statistical analyses and manuscript figures. All datasets were generated using reproducible workflows implemented in Google Earth Engine and Python. The analytical unit is the Local Government Area (LGA), and all inferential analyses reported in the manuscript were conducted at this spatial scale. ### Source datasets * MODIS MOD13Q1 Version 6.1 (NDVI) * MODIS MCD12Q1 Version 6.1 (Land Cover) * CHIRPS Daily Precipitation * JRC Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL P2023A Population) * Hansen Global Forest Change v1.11 * FAO GAUL 2015 Administrative Boundaries ### Temporal coverage 2000–2020 (forest loss: 2001–2020) ### Spatial coverage Northern Nigeria (420 Local Government Areas across 20 administrative units, including the Federal Capital Territory). ### File formats CSV (tabular datasets), GeoJSON (LGA boundaries), and accompanying metadata.