Cultural landscape value and spatial representation of trees in a rural Nupe community of Nigeria

Abstract

Trees have been a subject of interest in most environmental scientific studies. These studies are mostly on the effect of trees on the environment, their functions as source of fuel and construction material. However the values of trees in cultural landscape go beyond quantities as they can also have intangible values which can only be expressed but not displayed physically. The importance these intangible values brought about UNESCO’s modification of its criteria for the choice of world heritage sites to include values as expressed by people. The Nupe ethnic group in Nigeria has a rich cultural heritage; however, scholar’s interests have been on three major ethnic groups of Hausa Yoruba and Igbo. This study therefore explores the cultural landscape values of trees and its spatial representation in a rural Nupe community in central Nigeria. The study mapped out the location of trees, followed by an open ended interview with the compound heads and the data content analyzed. The results showed some consistency in the location and the preference for choice of fruit trees within the compounds. However a further analysis shows that there are more varieties of trees fulfilling the needs of the community than those found within the compounds