Tree Diversity in Urban Parks and Gardens of Ibadan City, Nigeria

Aims: To assess the species diversity of trees in parks and gardens across the urban area of the city of Ibadan.

Study Design: Total enumeration was conducted for data collection; All the trees in the urban parks and gardens were identified. The species similarity and diversity of trees were computed.

Place and Duration of Study: Parks and gardens within the urban area of Ibadan city, Nigeria, Department of Forestry Technology, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Nigeria, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, between April, 2019 and March, 2020.

Methodology: The parks and gardens were identified on google earth image. The species and family of all the trees within the parks and gardens were identified. The density, species richness, relative abundance, similarity, diversity and evenness were also estimated. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson’s diversity index, and Pielou’s species evenness index were used in estimating the species diversity.

Results: The findings reveal a significant species composition of 82 species distributed across 34 families, with Senna sesame and Fabaceae being the most abundant species and family respectively. The trees with a population of 2,471 trees are largely dominated by exotic and evergreen species. The species richness, similarity, and diversity were relatively high.

Conclusion: The study provides an opportunity to evaluate the contribution of urban parks and gardens to the ecological integrity and health of a city, thereby serving as essential information for preparing workable conservation strategies.