Effectiveness of two types of Protected Areas (PAs) for plant species diversity and conservation in Southwestern, Nigeria

• Authors: B. L. Olajiire-Ajayi , A. S. Gbadegesin
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Protected Areas (PAs) play a crucial role in conserving biodiversity. The study assessed the effectiveness of two types of PAs in conserving forest biodiversity. Therefore, the study quantified and compared species diversity in the SNR (Queen's Plot of Akure Forest Reserve) and NP (Okomu National Park) in Southwestern, Nigeria. Systematic line transects were used to establish plots of 900 m2 at 200 m intervals based on PAs sizes. 15 plots were established in SNR and 15 in NP. Trees with Diameter at breast height (Dbh) ≥10 cm were identified with their heights and diameters recorded. Shannon-Wiener (H’), Simpson’s evenness indices (1-D) and Margalef (SR) were computed using PAST software. 773 trees with Dbh ≥10 cm were identified in the two PAs (266 trees, 44 species and 21 families in SNR, 507 trees, 67 species and 28 families in NP). The mean Dbh and height (40.65; 32.5) in SNR were higher than (28.2; 26.84) in NP. The mean Dbh was statistically different between the two PAs types with p = 0.003. The H’, 1-D, and SR (3.47; 0.94; 9.91) in NP were higher than in SNR (3.19; 0.93; 7.88). The findings revealed that Okomu National Park exhibited higher biodiversity indices across all metrics compared to the Queen’s Plot. Further inferential statistics indicated a significant difference in the Shannon-Wiener and Margalef species richness indices between the two PAs, implying NP is effective in conserving forest biodiversity than SNR. The study recommends integrated conservation approaches that combine strict protection with multi-use strategies to leverage their unique strength to maximize biodiversity outcomes.

Keywords

EN

Akure Forest Reserve; Conservation; Okomu National Park; Protected Areas (PAs); ecosystem; forest biodiversity; height; multiple use; plant species

Discipline

• FORESTRY: FORESTRY

• Publisher: Scientific Publishing House „DARWIN”
• Journal: World News of Natural Sciences
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 60
• Pages: 217-230

Contributors

author

B. L. Olajiire-Ajayi

• Department of Forestry and Environmental Technology, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

author

A. S. Gbadegesin

• Department of Geography, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

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• Document Type: article