ECOSYSTEM DISSERVICES OF URBAN FORESTRY IN YENAGOA, NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA
Keywords:
ecosystem disservices, conservation, urban greening, ecosystem services, urban forestryAbstract
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.