VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF OVERUTILISED FABACEAE MEMBERS OF KATSINA STATE, NORTHERN NIGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59465/ijfr.2026.13.2.361-378Keywords:
Identification, vulnerable fabaceae, plant overutilization, plant conservation, katsina stateAbstract
Fabaceae, a globally diverse and economically important group of plants, faces increasing susceptibility to both natural and anthropogenic threats, posing significant risks to biodiversity and contributing to the potential extinction of certain species. This study aims to assess the vulnerability of over-utilised members of the Fabaceae in Katsina, utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire to interview 180 respondents about their use of these plants. Vulnerability was evaluated using ethnobotanical indices, including the Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Cultural Importance (CI), Relative Importance (RI), and Importance Value (IV). The study identified 32 vulnerable Fabaceae species across 25 genera and 5 subfamilies. Most respondents were male (87%), aged 46-75 (53%), and married (77%), with traditional medicinal practitioners (34%) and farmers (33%) constituting the two largest occupational groups. Albizia the most vulnerable genus, with three species. The plant Parkia biglobosa had the highest Vulnerability Index (VI) of 3.00. The stem bark (39%) was the most utilised plant part. According to IUCN status, the most vulnerable species were classified as Near Threatened (NT) (13%, 4 species), followed by Least Concern (LC) (78%, 25 species), and Not Evaluated (NE) (9%, 3 species). Key threats identified included deforestation (31%), agricultural expansion (23%), urbanisation (21%), overharvesting (15%), and introduction of the invasive species (10%). Addressing these threats is crucial for the conservation and sustainable use of these important species. The findings could guide conservation efforts, inform sustainable utilization, and inspire further studies on the biodiversity of Fabaceae and ecosystem resilience.
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