Supplementary file 3_Totems and sacred groves in southeast Nigeria: indigenous nature-base

Southeast Nigeria, specifically 27 communities in Enugu State, serves as the study area for this research on indigenous ecological knowledge. The dataset, authored by Felix Ifeanyi Nwafor and last updated in April 2026, analyzes 21 totemic plants and the ecological metrics of sacred groves, including species richness and diversity indices. It documents cultural salience scores and fidelity levels for key species like Cola acuminata and Dracaena arborea.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between cultural protection and biodiversity metrics based on reported species richness and diversity indices.
• Analyzing the cultural significance of plants for conservation planning based on reported fidelity and cultural salience scores.
• Studying indigenous nature-based solutions for climate change based on the described carbon sequestration potential of sacred groves.
• Investigating totemic systems as guides for sustainable behavior based on the ethnographic findings described.

Strengths

• Includes specific quantitative ecological metrics for groves, such as Shannon diversity indices ranging from 4.18 to 4.62.
• Reports detailed cultural evaluation scores for 21 totemic plants, including Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Use Value (UV).
• Based on fieldwork in 27 communities, providing a localized case study framework.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The primary data file is a 14.9 KB DOCX document, suggesting limited raw data scope.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Felix Ifeanyi Nwafor.

Collection Method

Mixed-methods approach combining descriptive interviews, quantitative ethnographic fieldwork, and ecological assessment.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 05:35:45; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria.