Knowledge of rural dwellers towards biodiversity conservation in onigambari forest reserve of Oyo State

Abstract

The study examined the knowledge of rural dwellers of biodiversity conservation in Onigambari forest reserve, Ibadan Oyo State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents from the study area. Data were collected with the aid of  interviewed schedule and analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The distribution showed that majority of the respondents were male (65.8%), married (63.3%) with household size of 5-8 (65.8%). The result further showed that majority (56.7%) of the respondents recorded low level knowledge on biodiversity conservation. Marital status (X²=9.925, P<0.005), Educational status  (X²=33.031, P<0.005) and Household size (X²=13.561, P<0.005) were found to have significant relationship with the knowledge of the respondents to biodiversity conservation. The study therefore recommends that opportunities of getting formal education should be made available to the dwellers in the study area as this will enhance their knowledge on biodiversity in the study area.

Keywords: Forest reserves, Knowledge, Biodiversity and Conservation