Mapping and Assessment of Ethno-Medicinal Trees in Built Up Areas - University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

O S Eludoyin ,A T Oladele ,Oluwatosin Muhibudeen Iyanda

doi:10.15177/seefor.15-10

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Several urban tree species are important in ethno-medicine, especially in the developing tropical regions. Their assessment in urban landscapes is becoming an important issue. The study assessed and mapped the ethno-medicinal trees in the built up area land use type of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, with a view to examining their spatial variation in terms of composition and diversity between the residential and non-residential areas of the University Park. Materials and Methods: The study employed the use of geographic information system (ArcGIS 9.3) for the mapping. Built up area land use was subdivided into residential and non-residential where the ethno-medicinal trees were recorded, identified and enumerated. Global positioning system was used to determine the coordinates of each tree. The species composition and diversity were calculated and a comparison was made between the residential and non- residential land use types. The pattern of spread of the ethno-medicinal trees was determined by the nearest neighbour analysis. Results: A total of 37 ethno-medicinal trees species were found in the study area, while the species composition was 499 in the residential area and 438 in the non-residential area. Azadirachta indica was the highest (233) in composition. Ethno-medicinal tree species in the study area consist of 19 families of which Anacardiaceae, Rutaceae, Moraceae and Combretaceae were the highest. Species diversity was higher in the non-residential land use (2.698) than in the residential land use (2.222). Conclusion: The nearest neighbour analysis reveals that the z-score value was higher in the nonresidential area (-23.06) than in the residential area (-0.30), but the pattern of distribution in both areas were clustered. The study recommended periodic monitoring and the assessment of ethnomedicinal trees in the study area for conservation purposes.

Highlights

The assessment of ethno-medicinal plants in urban landscapes is becoming an important issue, especially in the developing world, where many of these plant species are being used as avenue [1] and ornamental trees
The moist south-east air stream blows over the region between February and November and the region receives its rains, while the northeast trade wind blows over Port Harcourt in from November up to February, which ushers in the dry season
Margalef’s index showed the ethno-medicinal tree species richness in residential and nonresidential areas of the built up areas in the University Park as 4.0240 and 4.6035 respectively (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

The assessment of ethno-medicinal plants in urban landscapes is becoming an important issue, especially in the developing world, where many of these plant species are being used as avenue [1] and ornamental trees. The ethno-medicinal plants require adequate and periodic monitoring and assessment which can help to understand their structures (the diameter at breast height - dbh, species composition, tree height, crown spread, biomass and tree location) [10] and aid their environmental sustainability for use and human survival in such societies. The study assessed and mapped the ethno-medicinal trees in the built up area land use type of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, with a view to examining their spatial variation in terms of composition and diversity between the residential and non-residential areas of the University Park. The species composition and diversity were calculated and a comparison was made between the residential and non-residential land use types. The study recommended periodic monitoring and the assessment of ethnomedicinal trees in the study area for conservation purposes

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion