Intl. J. of Mol. Ecol. and Conserv. 2012, Vol. 2, No. 5, 26-31
http://ijmec.sophiapublisher.com
27
any terrestrial ecosystem in the world. Forests
therefore provide employment for people and
contribute to the GDP of the nation. Forest resources
in Nigeria are distributed on state basis with eight
major forest types (Beak Consultant, 1998). As one of
the states with forest resources, Ogun State has forest
reserve that falls under the purview of a peri-urban
forest. According to Wiggins and Holt (2000),
peri-urban was described as areas beyond the closed
settled limits of any urban area but are sufficiently
close enough to the urban area to have frequent and
substantial interactions with the urban economy. Close
enough was taken to mean within 30 minutes of
journey of the city by public transport. This
expression describes Arakanga forest reserve in
Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. As a peri-urban forest
there are growing settlements developing close to the
forest in view of the benefits derivable from the forest.
This is in addition to the interaction with the urban
economy. The values of a peri-urban Forest transcend
the valuation of forests as land banks as hitherto was
the perception of early settlers. The list of goods and
services that urban forestry and peri-urban forestry
can provide is impressive. Trees and green spaces help
keep cities cool, act as natural filters and noise
absorbers; improve microclimates and protect and
improve the quality of natural resources, including
soil, water, vegetation and wildlife. Trees contribute
significantly to the aesthetic appeal of cities, thereby
helping to maintain the psychological health of their
inhabitants. Beyond ecological and aesthetic benefits,
urban forestry has a role in helping resource – poor
populations meet basic needs. This therefore
underscores the importance of this study with the
following objectives:
1.
To describe the socio-economic characteristics of
peri-urban forest users.
2.
To identify the various uses of peri-urban forest in
Ogun State.
3.
To determine the perception of the respondents on
the contribution of peri-urban forest to livelihoods.
1
The study area
The study was carried out in Abeokuta, Ogun State,
Nigeria. Abeokuta lies within Latitude 7° and 7°5' N
and Longitude 3°3' E and 3°37'. Arakanga Forest
Reserve (AFR) is one of the nine (9) forest reserves in
Ogun State that falls under the purview of a peri-urban
forest. AFR is about 2.3 km
2
long and made up of
both the High forest and Savanna vegetation.
Although the reserve is located in Odeda Local
Government Area, it is closer to Akomoje, the
headquarters of Abeokuta North Local Government
Area and about 5 km from the centre of Abeokuta, the
capital city of Ogun State (Awojuola, 2001;
Onakomaiya, 1992). The environment is characterized
by two distinct seasons. The longer wet season last for
eight months (March~October) and shorter dry season
last for four months (November~February). The
relative humidity is high all year round, generally
above 80% during the wet season and fluctuates
between 60~80% during the dry season. The most
humid months coincide with the rainy season
spanning between March and October. Humidity and
the long wet season ensure adequate supply of water
and continuous presence of moisture in the air. This
trend promotes perennial tree growth. The soils in the
area are dominated by clayey loam developed on
underlying granite. There are also laterite soils.
Abeokuta has extensive free forest areas with two
gazetted forest reserves of 61.19 km
2
land area. Major
timber crops include Teak and Gmelina with other
indigenous species from the free areas.
The major occupation of the people in the study area
is farming with agricultural crops such as cassava,
maize, cocoyam, plantain, palm produce and
vegetables. The area is also rich in fauna resources
such as fish of various species, grasscutter, giant rat,
grey rat, monitor lizard, weaver birds and others.
Stone quarrying is also well developed. Major
non-farm employments are provided by transportation
and forestry activities such as timber exploitation,
firewood, leaves collection and charcoal production.
2
Data collection
Primary data were collected from four (4) settlements
to Arakanga Forest Reserve, Abeokuta in Ogun State.
Stratified Sampling technique was used for the study.
Each village in the study area represents a stratum.
From each stratum, respondents were randomly
selected. A total of 100 respondents with 25 from each
stratum were selected. The villages are Ajegunle,