A preliminary report on palaeoenvironmental investigations in Iffe-Ijumu, southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

This paper presents a reconstruction of the vegetational history of Iffe-Ijumu and its environs in the southwestern part of Nigeria. This indicates that the present vegetation in the study area is due in part to human activities which led to the opening of the forest canopy as a result of a gradual elimination of fire-tender forest species through intensified burning and cultivation, and partly to a natural substitution by fire-tolerant savanna species, as well as an increase in oil palm.