Forest Systems Services Provisioning in Africa: Case of Gambari Forest Reserve, Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

This study, therefore, which is focused on forest systems services provisioning in Africa, case of Gambari Forest Reserve, Ibadan, Nigeria, provides policy makers, decision makers, ecologists, environmentalists, the academia, and other stakeholders with a document geared towards promoting national development through sustainable forest products utilization practices. In this study, a total of 200 key respondents participated in it, out of which 194 copies were returned and distributed among the seven main communities in the study area, namely, Ibusogbora, Oloowa, Daley north and south, Onipe, Mamu, Olubi, and Onipanu, respectively. The respondents stated that moringa 164 (84.5%), mint leaf (166 (85.6%), bitter kola 143 (73.7%), and shea tree accounts for 176 (90.7%), and the wood species utilized by producers in the study area include Leucaena leucocephala, Leucaena glauca, Gliricidia sepium, Tectona grandis, and Gmelina arborea, among others. The study recommends that there is need for African governments to restore public awareness campaign in the area of timber planting initiatives and sustainable forest resource management and increase allocation to fund forestry research in the African continent.

Analysis of Anthropogenic Impediments to African Forest Ecosystems Conservation: Case of Gambari Forest Ecosystem, Ibadan, Nigeria

“…From the foregoing, the destruction of essential forest resources such as vegetation cover, fertile soils wildlife, as well as environmental pollution emanating from oil spillage are alarmingly evident in several African countries, this is coupled with the high rate of population increase which is responsible for agricultural and industrial growth, resulting in the continuous expansion of land. This has gone a long way in the degrading of the environment causing different types of problems [1,3,4].…”

“…According to Olatoye, [1], tropical forests are particularly rich in species. Furthermore, forests cover not less than 10% of the total terrestrial surface, and approximately 50% of the total area covered by the world's forests serve as habitat to considerably more than 60% of all terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity [2][3][4]. From the foregoing, Benayas, [5] opined that about 10 million people are employed in forest management and conservation all over the world.…”

“…From the foregoing, Benayas, [5] opined that about 10 million people are employed in forest management and conservation all over the world. In the same vein, over 1.6 billion people-including more than 2000 indigenous cultures depend on forest Land Use Land Cover (LULC) as a means of livelihood [6], thereby providing a wide range of environmental services [3,4], including biodiversity conservation, water supply, carbon sequestration, flood control [1], and protection against soil erosion and desertification [5].…”

“…As elucidated by Seto, [9], forest products accounted for more than US$300 billion, or 4% of the total value of international trade in commodities in 2004. Additionally, many people also place spiritual, religious and cultural values on forests as well as NTFPs, while others utilize them for leisure and recreational purposes [3,4]. Despite the decline in the global forest area over centuries, the rate of deforestation has accelerated to alarming proportions.…”

Hotspot Spatial Patterns Using SNNP-VIIRS for Fire Potential Monitoring

“…Forests are an essential component of various ecosystem services [17,18], such as for fauna and vegetation conservation [19] which increases signifcantly when the atmosphere changes and carbon dioxide concentrations increase. Namely to reduce greenhouse emissions [20][21][22][23][24], and it also reduces carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, supply water, and protection against soil erosion [25]. Forests are crucial for human welfare and environmental health [26].…”