ECOSYSTEM DISSERVICES OF URBAN FORESTRY IN YENAGOA, NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

Abstract

People want to green their environments and practice urban forestry because of the associated
ecosystem services, but with it comes some unwanted, unplanned, and unexpected negative
impacts on their wellbeing. These unwanted negative impacts are now termed ecosystem disservices
(EDS). This study aimed to find out the awareness of EDS among urban dwellers in Yenagoa,
Nigeria. It also had the objectives of collating what the participants classify as an EDS, and to know
if the EDS will sway people from practicing urban forestry. The semi-structured interviews involved
30 participants who were selected through a combination of convenience and purposive sampling
methods. The result showed that although people experience the unanticipated negative impacts
from the urban forest ecosystem, they were not aware of what to name them; they simply lived
with it. Many EDS were mentioned, including costs of maintenance, leaf litters, damages to
infrastructure and assets, health issues (harboring of disease vectors such as mosquitoes), harboring
of criminals, harboring of venomous reptiles and dangerous wildlife, damages to lawns and
landscapes, attraction of strange or unwanted persons, and death. Despite these EDS, they all will
still want to keep their environment green. Environmental education in the aspect of safe practices,
choice of species, and maintenance are recommended for practitioners of urban forestry.