Evaluation of Botanical Gardens in Nigeria as Ex-Situ Conservation and Educational Centres: A Multi-Site Assessment

Botanical gardens serve as critical ex-situ conservation nodes for threatened plant species and as public education platforms, yet a professional evaluation of their effectiveness across Nigerian institutions has not been conducted in recent literature. This study evaluated the conservation and educational performance of five botanical gardens associated with universities and research institutions in different geopolitical zones: University of Nigeria Nsukka (South East), Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife (South West), University of Port Harcourt (South South), Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (North West), and University of Jos (North Central). A professional assessment framework based on Botanic Gardens Conservation International standards was applied, covering species collection documentation, threatened species representation, ex-situ living collection management, public education programmes, and institutional staffing capacity. Scoring was conducted using garden records, staff interviews, and field collection verification. Results revealed significant variation in performance across institutions. OAU Ile-Ife scored highest overall (68/100 points), with the best collection documentation and public programming. Threatened species representation in all five gardens was below 30% of regionally threatened Nigerian flora. Staffing was critically inadequate in three of five gardens, with two having fewer than three dedicated botanical garden staff. Educational programming was limited to scheduled school visits, with no digital interpretation resources in any garden. The study concludes that Nigerian botanical gardens require urgent recapitalisation, professional staffing, and strategic collection planning aligned with national biodiversity targets.

Keywords: botanical gardens, ex-situ conservation, threatened plants, educational programming, Nigeria