CONTRIBUTION OF PERI-URBAN FORESTS TO NEIGHBOURHOOD LIVELIHOODS IN ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the contribution of peri-urban forest to neighbourhood livelihoods in Abeokuta,
Ogun State, Nigeria. Stratified sampling technique was adopted for the study. Four strata represent-
ing different communities were selected; Ajegule, Ibode Olude, Ilugun Titun and Mawuko. From each
stratum, twenty five respondents were randomly selected with a total of 100 respondents from the
neighbourhood. Questionnaire was used as the instrument of data collection. The result showed that
poverty line was N8,871.41 monthly and 41% of the respondents were categorised as poor (Poverty
incidence). Household assets acquisition as poverty indicator showed that majority of the respondents
could not afford luxury items such as cars (89%), generators (71%) and electric cookers (99%). Liveli-
hood activities identified in peri-urban forest with respondents distribution were firewood collection
24%, wages 24%, snail gathering 7%, medicinal leaves collection 5%, hunting 8%, teak leaves collec-
tion 21% and geological materials extraction 11%. The earnings and income shares by source indi-
cated that forest contributed 17% of total income in Ajegunle, 15% in Ibode Olude, 18% in Ilugun Titun
and 15% in Mawuko. This showed the contribution of peri-urban forest to welfare of the respondents in
the neighbourhood. Consequently, it is recommended that conservation efforts must increase through
forest policy for peri-urban forests coupled with adult literacy for adequate education to reduce de-
pendence on forests in peri-urban areas to enable the forest impact positively through eco-services on
the lives of residents in the locality.