INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE ON THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON PHENOLOGY OF TREES IN GAYI AND AUGIE FOREST RESERVES, KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA

This study assessed indigenous knowledge on the impact of climate change on the phenology of trees in the Gayi and Augie Forest Reserves, Kebbi State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed, and sixty respondents were selected from each forest reserve using the snowball sampling method, which stood at 120 respondents. Data on start of rainfall, month with highest and duration of rainfall, period of rainfall were recorded. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data obtained. The results showed that 60% of respondents reported rainfall usually begins in April, 30% in May, and 5% in June. August was identified by 68.4% of respondents as the month with the highest rainfall, followed by September (23.3%), while 8.3% were undecided. Result indicated 55% of the respondents cited 2010 as the year with highest rainfall, 20% mentioned 2022, 18.3% indicated 2017, and 6.7% pointed 2015. About 96.7% agreed that temperatures are generally increasing, and 3.3% undecided. The hottest period was March as mentioned by 50.8%, 44.2% in April, and 5% in May. Majority (78.3%) of respondents stated that the lowest temperatures occur between December and February, 20% in January, and 1.7% were undecided. In terms of dry spells, 48.4% of respondents identified 2017 as the year with the most severe dry spell, followed by 2013 (27.5%), 2022 (18.5%), and 2014 (8.3%) respectively. Furthermore, 93.3% of respondents agreed that there has been a shift in phenological activities, while 6.7% remained undecided. The findings highlight that local communities possess valuable knowledge of the seasonal timing of flowering and fruiting in forest plants, which is being altered by changes in temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change.