article · Nigerian Journal of Botany
An assessment of eight small herbaria across the Guinea and Sudan savannas in Nigeria examined a dataset of 6,047 vascular plant specimens. These collections represent 1,801 species across 792 genera and 193 families. The most abundant plant families are Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Asteraceae, which together make up 28% of all species, whilst 38 families each account for less than 1%. Native plants constitute 59.7% of the records, introduced species make up 13.8%, and 26.5% represent new national records. Despite holding valuable and previously undocumented botanical data, only approximately 5% of these specimens are accessible via international platforms like GBIF. Digitising and integrating these regional collections into broader networks is vital for botanical heritage, biogeographic assessments, and conservation strategies in the savanna biome.
Small regional herbaria protect vital botanical records, including previously uncatalogued species, but low digitisation leaves them largely hidden from wider research. Surfacing these records provides essential baseline data for environmental managers, researchers, and policymakers who require precise regional biodiversity knowledge to design effective conservation programmes and combat plant diversity loss in savanna ecosystems.
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Small herbaria, though often overshadowed by larger counterparts, are invaluable repositories of biodiversity data, especially in underrepresented regions. This study assessed the taxonomic composition, biogeographic origins and conservation status of vascular plant specimens in eight small herbaria across Guinea and Sudan savannas in Nigeria. A dataset of 6,047 specimens was compiled, spanning 193 families, 792 genera and 1,801 species. Fabaceae (13.2%), Poaceae (8.1%) and Asteraceae (6.7%) were the most represented families, accounting for 28% of the total species. Conversely, 38 families (19.7%) each contributed less than 1% of species, emphasising the need to conserve both dominant and underrepresented taxa. Native species made up 59.7% of the collections, while introduced species accounted for 13.8% and 26.5% were new national records—highlighting the role of small herbaria in uncovering undocumented biodiversity data. Despite their significance, only ca. 5% of these collections are accessible via platforms like GBIF, reflecting broader challenges of digitisation and accessibility of Nigerian herbarium data. This study underscores the value of small herbaria in safeguarding botanical heritage, biodiversity data, biogeographic assessments and conservation planning. Enhancing the visibility of these small herbaria and integration into global networks is essential for addressing biodiversity loss of the Guinea and Sudan savannahs.
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DOI: 10.4314/njbot.v38i1.2
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