Anthropogenic Activities and their Impacts on Biodiversity Survival in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2020-06
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University of Ilorin, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics
Abstract
Biodiversity plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of man. Therefore, careful use
of biodiversity is an essential requirement for sustained global development. However, available data
points to a high rate of biodiversity loss especially in developing countries which has been attributed
to a combination of human-induced factors, including rising demand for and consumption of natural
resources. This paper identifies those human activities that result in irreversible loss of biodiversity
using the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State as an example. A structured questionnaire
containing information on the people’s activities influencing biodiversity loss, the effects of
biodiversity loss, and socio-economic characteristics among other questions were randomly
administered to 250 residents of the Local Government Area. Residents Agreement Index (RAI),
descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and, regression analysis were used to explain the
causes and effects of biodiversity loss. Ten major activities were identified to be influencing
irreversible biodiversity loss. They are, cattle rearing (1.21), logging (0.89), road construction (0.81),
culture (0.79) and herb harvesting (0.59), poaching (-0.69), farming (-0.61), Industrial activities (-
1.59), energy generation (-1.32) and settlement development (-0.05). Theeffects of biodiversity loss
include poor crop yield (43.2%), soil erosion (31%), a threat of desertification (12%), reduction in the
number of wildlife (9.6%), reduction in timber production (4.2%). The results of the regression
analysis show that biodiversity loss is a function of the socio- economic characteristics of people. The
paper concluded that though the socio-economic development of a society is attached to its biodiversity
exploitation, careful, diligent, and sustainable use of these resources is required.
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Keywords
Biodiversity, Human activities, Medicinal plants, Socio-economic characteristics, Biodiversity loss
Citation
Ola, A.B., Adewale, Y. Y., Raheem, W. A. and Afonja, A. A. (2020). Anthropogenic Activities and their Impacts on Biodiversity Survival in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria. Journal of Geomatics and Environmental Research, Vol. 3, pp 115-133. ISSN 2682-681X (Paper) ISSN 2705-4241 (Online)