VOLUME PREDICTION FOR MILICIA EXCELSA (WELW C.C. BERG.) TREES IN SELECTED INSTITUTIONS IN IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

The study develops equations for the prediction of stem volume of Milicia excelsa  (Welw C.C. Berg.) in some selected institutions in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Sequel to the relationship between stem volume (sv), diameter at base (db) and  at breast height (dbh) from enumeration of 61 trees in selected institutions, equations were developed for estimating tree volumes of M. excelsa. Of all the equations developed, logarithmic for volume was the best fit equation containing the db and dbh as the predictors. The equation is lnSV = 1.5924 + 1.4915lndb + 0.8600lndbh with coefficient of determination (R2) and standard error of estimate being 0.9011 and SEE = 0.3485 respectively. Residual analysis revealed that the assumption of independence of residuals is valid, and there is no evidence of an outlier. Validation of the equation was done by testing for significant difference between the predicted stem volume (PSV) and observed stem volume (OSV). The study showed that stem volume of M. excelsa can be predicted from db and dbh by using this equation with reasonable precision. The prediction equation developed in this work would be very useful and applicable where tree dimensions such as diameter at middle and top as well as the height of M. excelsa is difficult to assess and there is need to reduce the cost of inventory of such species.Â

Ethnobiology Phase VI: Decolonizing Institutions, Projects, and Scholarship

Ethnobiology, like many fields, was shaped by early Western imperial efforts to colonize people and lands around the world and extract natural resources. Those legacies and practices persist today and continue to influence the institutions ethnobiologists are a part of, how they carry out research, and their personal beliefs and actions. Various authors have previously outlined five overlapping "phases" of ethnobiology. Here, we argue that ethnobiology should move toward a sixth phase in which scholars and practitioners must actively challenge colonialism, racism, and oppressive structures embedded within their institutions, projects, and themselves. As an international group of ethnobiologists and scholars from allied fields, we identified key topics and priorities at three levels: at the institutional scale, we argue for repatriation/rematriation of biocultural heritage, accessibility of published work, and realignment of priorities to support community-driven research. At the level of projects, we emphasize the need for mutual dialogue, reciprocity, community research self-sufficiency, and research questions that support sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities over lands and waters. Finally, for individual scholars, we support self-reflection on language use, co-authorship, and implicit bias. We advocate for concrete actions at each of these levels to move the field further toward social justice, antiracism, and decolonization.La etnobiología, como muchos otros campos, ha sido moldeada por los esfuerzos imperialistas occidentales para colonizar gente y tierras alrededor del mundo y extraer sus recursos naturales. Estos legados y prácticas aún persisten hoy en día y continúan influyendo en las instituciones donde los etnobiólogos son parte, las formas en cómo desarrollan la investigación, sus creencias personales y acciones. Varios autores han resaltado anteriormente cinco fases superpuestas de la etnobiología. En este documento, nosotros argumentamos que la etnobiología debe moverse hacia una sexta fase en la que los académicos y practicantes deben activamente confrontar el colonialismo, el racismo y las estructuras opresivas que están embebidas dentro de sus instituciones, proyectos y de ellos mismos. Como un grupo internacional de etnobiólogos y académicos de campos aliados, identificamos temas centrales y prioridades en 3 niveles: a nivel institucional, nosotros abogamos por la repatriación/rematriación del patrimonio biocultural, la accesibilidad a los trabajos publicados, y la realineación de prioridades para apoyar la investigación liderada por las comunidades. A nivel de proyectos, nosotros enfatizamos la necesidad de un diálogo mutuo, de reciprocidad, que las comunidades sean autosuficientes en cuanto a investigación. Además, que las preguntas de investigación apoyen la soberanía de los Pueblos Indígenas y las Comunidades Locales sobre sus tierras y aguas. Finalmente, en el caso de los académicos, apoyamos los procesos de reflexión interna acerca del uso del lenguaje, las coautorías y los sesgos implícitos. Nosotros abogamos por acciones concretas en cada uno de estos niveles para movilizar a la etnobiología para que sea socialmente justa, anti-racista y descolonizada