Social and Environmental Impact Assessment of Bodija Plank Market, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the social and environmental impact of Bodija plank market on the immediate environment. The study area comprises nine (9) zones; five (5) zones were selected randomly, and ten (10) respondents were selected randomly in each zone, making a total of fifty (50) respondents for the study. A well-structured questionnaire was administered for primary data collection from the respondents. Secondary data were obtained from existing literature. 90.0% of the respondents were male and were within the age bracket of 41-50 years (50.0%). 76.0% of the respondents were married, were of Yoruba origin (96.0%), and earned between ₦10,000 and ₦60,000 monthly (58.0%). 42.0% had secondary education, and 44.0% had been in the business for 6-10 years. Most of the respondents (70.0%) agreed that the forest and wildlife resources of the study area were rich in its early days, while 60.0% stated the presence of rare/endangered species peculiar to the area during that time. Additionally, 76.0% stated that deforestation activities occurred during the process of plank market establishment, and 72.0% noted the absence of Environmental Impact Assessment before establishing the study area. 60.0% of the respondents agreed that the mill has positive impacts on community development, while 64.0% disagreed that the mill's establishment negatively impacts community development. The study identified continued sourcing for raw materials, loss of biodiversity, noise pollution, atmospheric pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, and improper waste disposal as the major negative impacts of the study area and highlighted different mitigation measures for the negative impacts identified.