Babalola, F.D. and Raji, I.A.

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Trees exist as part of urban setting in different parts of the world; however, there is inadequate information on people’s perception about urban trees within their immediate environment. This study therefore assessed perception of people on trees at main campus of University of Ilorin. A stratified sampling technique was adopted to survey trees on the campus, while structured questionnaire was administered on staff and traders on campus. A total of 2,468 trees were surveyed on the campus, comprising of 54 different species. More than half of the respondents indicated their preferences for shade producing trees (59.7%) and trees producing edible fruits (59.7%). Majority of the respondents agreed that they love to be (91.2%) and prefer to work (74.8%) in tree environment. However, less than half (41.3%) agreed that having trees around office environment can improve job satisfaction. On the environmental services provided by the campus trees, 84.8% agreed that the tree can mitigate the effect of climate change; 84.9% agreed that the trees help to purify air quality, 68.7% disagreed or did not know if trees can help to reduce noise pollution, and only 37.7% agreed that tree on the campus can serve as anti-stress. Majority of the respondents (91.7%) agreed to the assertion that trees should be managed to obtain its full benefits (p=0.03, χ2=39.05). For the management of trees on campus to be effective, there is a need for more awareness creation on benefits of trees, and participation of relevant stakeholders in management strategy. Keywords: Urban trees, Benefits of trees, Preference for trees, environmental services, Tree species