Abstract
The conservation status of Vitellaria paradoxa in Kwara state was studied. The frequency ranged from 20% at Offa and Ilofa to100% at Jebba and Kaiama, as the shea tree occurred twice in the ten sampling points at Offa and Ilofa, but occurred in all sampled sites at Jebba and Kaiama. The highest tree mean density of 34 trees/ha was noted at Kaiama and the lowest at Offa 4 trees/ha. The overall mean densities of the species was 13.33 trees/ha. These show that Vitellaria paradoxa trees were more conserved towards the Northern part of the state than the Southern part. The majority of the trees were between (21-30 cm) diameter class, which indicated that they were saplings and very few were around (<10 cm) diameter class. The results showed low population of seedlings in the state, especially at the Northern part of the state. This might be due to trees’ removal for farming activities, uncontrolled incessant bush burning and trampling by grazing live stocks in the areas.
Highlights
The alarming rate at which various plant species are removed from their natural habitats has been documented by many authors (Ledig, 1992; Mulongoy et al, 1992; Mace, 1995; Orji and Ugbaja, 2008).Perhaps the most heavily exploited of the forest products are the trees, which form the main structural component of our wooded lands
The lowest frequency of V. paradoxa was recorded at Ilofa and Offa respectively which stand at 20% followed by Ilorin with 40% frequency, which shows that the plant is Vulnerable (VU) or Threatened (T) in the areas, according to World Conservation Union (WCU) red list (Anonymous, 2008)
While at Afon and Omu Aran the frequency stands at 60%, which shows that the plant is Near Threatened (NT) in the areas according to World Conservation Union (WCU) red list (Anonymous, 2008)
Summary
The alarming rate at which various plant species are removed from their natural habitats has been documented by many authors (Ledig, 1992; Mulongoy et al, 1992; Mace, 1995; Orji and Ugbaja, 2008).Perhaps the most heavily exploited of the forest products are the trees, which form the main structural component of our wooded lands. The alarming rate at which various plant species are removed from their natural habitats has been documented by many authors (Ledig, 1992; Mulongoy et al, 1992; Mace, 1995; Orji and Ugbaja, 2008). Timber species are converted on a daily basis into logs and boards of various grades. Rough timbers are removed on a regular basis for conversion into papers (Anon, 1990), or used as fuel woods. Wood used for cooking accounts for nearly 80% of the energy consumption in Nigeria (Akinbode, 1991). There is no real alternative to fuel wood for cooking, especially in the rural areas (Akinbode, 1991), nor is there any possibility of reducing pressure on the timber species. The increase in Nigeria population will continue to increase the demand for these valuable resources that are limited in supply
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