| Abstrakt: |
The study examined flora decline in a peri-urban settlement (Ijeun Lukosi village in Abeokuta, Nigeria) and the consequent poverty trap in the village. Respondents were selected by simple random sampling (SRS) with a total of 90 respondents selected, cutting across different age groups and occupations. Ijeun Lukosi village is a stone throw from a Government Secretariat with influx of government employees. The status of flora in the village revealed 34 species of trees and shrubs, 36 species of herbs and climbers and 12 species of aquatic plants. Thirty-two families of plants were identified showing the diversity of flora species in the settlement. An influx of people into the settlement changed the pattern of land tenure system from communal and family inheritance to personal ownership of land. This change in land ownership status promoted the destruction of the diversity of loacal flora under private property development. This impacted negatively on the livelihood of respondents. The poverty line was determined to be NAD 2,600 ($17.33) per month, a condition categorized by the World Bank as abject poverty. Over 51% of farming respondents were displaced, including 20% entrepreneurs (artisans) trading in trado-medical herbs derived from the diversity in the flora. The conclusion is drawn that abject poverty encouraged the destruction of flora diversity in the settlement with the poverty trap turning into a cycle and the perpetuation of poverty in the village. It is recommended that the government should put in place programs to alleviate poverty in this and similar areas to protect flora diversity and consequently protect the environment, thereby ensuring the sustenance of rural livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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