Riverscapes downstream of hydropower dams: Effects of altered flows and historical land-use change

•Riparian vegetation cover increased in riverbanks and banks in the post-dam period.•Riparian patches downstream of dams were larger, but with lower spatial complexity.•Riparian cover at the two reservoir rivers was greater than at the run-of-river setting.•Riparian vegetation had different growth trajectories depending on type of dam-induced hydrologic alterations.•Riparian changes were driven by LULC change and hydrology with complex interactions.