Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods of Fringe Forest Communities in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Сажетак

The changing climate from natural, but more from anthropogenic factors as indicated by global warming, unusual rainfall regimes and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels already affects agricultural production such that measures for climate change adaptation and mitigation are being emphasized. This study examinedthe impacts on of climate change on ecosystem services and livelihoods, and the adaptation and coping strategies in two forest communities of Ondo State, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained from 80 randomly selected respondents in four fringe communities of Ala and Akure Forest Reserves using a pre-tested and validated semi-structured interview scheduleand subjected to quantitative statistical analysis. Sixty year-climate dataobtained from Climate Research Unit of East Anglia, Norwich, UKshowedthat average temperature increased significantly whilethe increase in rainfall was insignificant and with high variability over the period for the study area. The forest communities derive provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services from the forest reserves with the most importantecosystem services being provisioning and supporting servicesat 63 and 53%ranking respectively. Almost all the respondents (95%) were aware of the changing climate and identified that crop farming was the livelihood most affected even as 49% attributed a reduction in soil fertility to it.Furthermore, climate change has reduced the natural ability of the forests to provide ecosystem services especially provisioning and regulating services in the study areas. Members of the forest communities have adopted various on-farm and off-farm adaptation strategies to cope with the changing climate and to improve their livelihoods.