Assessment of Tree Planting Efforts in Lagos Island Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Investigations were carried out to review tree planting activities within the Lagos Island Local Government Area of Nigeria. The city is a center of commercial activity within a hot tropical environment. Efforts have been made by both governmental and private bodies to promote tree planting within the area in mitigating the effects of urbanization on the environment particularly in the area of climate change. However, it became necessary to assess the tree planting activities so as to properly place its achievements and positive contributions to the environment. The review is also to highlight the areas where more efforts are needed. An enumeration of existing trees was carried out with the aim of assessing the distribution, specie types and density of coverage. A handheld GPS device was used to acquire the coordinates of trees which were then mapped. Further analysis using GIS was done. Interviews with tree planting officials and public volunteers were also carried out. A total of 293 trees was identified within the study area which is about 8.7 km 2 in size. The result indicates a paucity of trees in the area despite the various tree planting efforts. A high mortality rate of trees was observed. Further findings indicated that the public's desire to support, manage and maintain the planted trees was poor. It was observed that the tree planting activities were seen as a curse rather than a blessing by market men and women within the study area. This study suggests more public enlightenment and that edible species should be planted in place of exotic ones being used.

Assessing the Relationship of LST, NDVI and EVI with Land Cover Changes in the Lagos Lagoon Environment

“…This implies that the cooling effect of the vegetation was very high between 2003 and 2013 in the vegetation-covered areas but very low in the built-up areas. Possibly this could be a result of the tree greening programmes enforced by the Lagos State Government to create more green areas by planting trees and expanding the green environment in Lagos State generally (Adegboye 2013, Soladoye, Oromakinde 2013. The 2013 tree planting campaign was the fifth anniversary of tree planting initiated by the state government since 2008.…”

Progress and Methodological Approaches in Urban Trees and Forests Research in Africa

“…Citizen involvement in the management of urban trees in the continent is inadequate while tree planting schedules and plans seem to be weak or non-existent. According to Chishaleshale (2015), only 20% of municipalities in South Africa followed planned tree planting schedules while Soladoye & Oromakinde (2013) reported poor support, management and maintenance of planted trees in Lagos, Nigeria. These areas need to be adequately explored so as to improve our knowledge of the urban trees and maximize the benefits they provide.…”

High Seroprevelance of West Nile Virus Antibodies Observed in Horses from Southwestern Nigeria

“…The locations selected were the Ajah horse stable (N06.46700°, E003.57255°) and the Ikoyi polo club (N06.4500°, E003.4333°), both in Lagos State, and the Ibadan polo club (N07.4036°, E003.8726°) in Oyo State. The climate of the study locations is tropical, with Lagos State receiving approximately 1800 mm of rainfall annually and Oyo State an average of 1200 mm at the onset but 1800 mm at the peak of rainy season (Soladoye andOromakinde 2013, Adeniyi et al 2014). The period of sample collection coincided with the wet season.…”