Classification of ecosystem services in Omo Biosphere Reserve and the provisional services

Abstract

This review examined ecosystem services in Omo Biosphere Reserve, Nigeria. The review explored the identified provisional services from the forest resources in this rich ecosystem. The identified forest resources in Omo Biosphere Reserve were listed according to their provisional benefits. This includes 72 different species as sources of food; River Omo serve as the major source of freshwater and supplying other streams within the ecosystem; 8 fiber plant sources and 287 forest plants used as bio-chemicals for medicines and chemical used in soaps making and phytochemicals products. It was concluded and recommended that further studies should be carried out on how to effectively harness the indigenous knowledge behind the utilization of these resources by rural populace and look at ways of introducing some of these products into urban ecosystem and also promote the use of these organic products to help mitigate food insecurity and pollution of the environment from inorganic products.

Keywords: Ecosystem Services, Provisioning Services, Omo Biosphere Reserve