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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Environmental sustainability is the conservation and maintenance of the ecological integrity of a given area. The present study investigated the effective use of traditional laws and taboo practices in the preservation of the natural resources of Uli, a town in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State Nigeria. The study examined strategies employed in environmental sustainability in this area at the period leading upto Nigeria’s independence in 1960, impact of the civil war (1967-1970) and its aftermath till date. The instruments used for the data collection included literature review, field survey using the questionnaire, one on one oral interviews and photographic documentations of the selected areas. The results showed that fifteen (15) species of plants were preserved using traditional laws. These include: Newbouldia laevis, Treculia africana, Elaeis guineensis, Anthocleista vogelii, Milicia excelsa, Irvingia gabonensis, Cola nitida, Khaya grandifoliola, Ceiba pentandra, Chrysophyllum albidium, Dialium guineense, Canarium schweinfurthii, Baphia nitida, Brachystegia eurycoma, Pterygota spp. Of the three forests in Uli, the “Attammiri” forest is the only one that has remained intact over the years, using traditional laws. The study statistically inferred that the Nigerian Civil war had no significant adverse effect on the use of traditional laws in the protection of the forests in Uli (PBrachystegia eurycoma and Milicia excelsa species. For development to be sustainable, respect for culture and traditional laws at the village-community level should be encouraged and stiffer sanctions accompany offenders.

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