WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
Researchers inventoried plant communities at one historically industrially disturbed Nigerian lowland rainforest site and two nearby reference forests. The disturbed forest differed in composition, retaining relatively more grasses and fewer trees. Five recorded plants were classed as vulnerable or near threatened in the study's conservation-status review.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Tree-cover regrowth and floristic recovery are different signals. Reference forests and threat-status inventories give a stronger restoration baseline than greenness alone.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Only three selected sites and one disturbed site; study cannot separate historical land use from all underlying site conditions or infer regional forest recovery rates.
SOURCE
Ochekwu & Nichodemus · Discover Plants (3 Nov 2026)
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