Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T18:12:15.407Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Animal Wildlife Conservation under Multiple Land-use Systems in Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Gbadebo Jonathan Osemeobo
Gbadebo Jonathan Osemeobo
Affiliation:
Principal Forest Officer, Federal Department of Forestry, P.M.B. 2142, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

To conserve a resource without having adequate data and finance is difficult and frustrating. The situation of wildlife in Nigeria is nevertheless different. Except in the Yankari, Upper Ogun, and Kwiabaha, Game Reserves, and the Kainji Lake National Park, little efforts have been made to protect the Nigerian animal wildlife resources from human pressure and widespread extinction. To many, what remains of the wild animals are best seen in the few state-owned zoological gardens in Nigeria. However, because most indigenous large animal species—including Elephant, Buffalo, Chimpanzee, Gorilla, Rhinoceros, Leopard, and Ostrich—have not been able to reproduce in the various zoological gardens so far, the hope to conserve these animals is brittle. The questions are, what factors are working against wildlife conservation? Indeed, what hopes exist for Nigerian animal wildlife?

Animal wildlife is a declining resource in Nigeria because of unplanned land-use practices. For example, landuses in game reserves are often conflicting and contradictory. Four land-uses: timber extraction, hunting, food-crop production, and settlement, are simultaneously going on in game reserves, with little or no control measures and with no management plans. The excessive demands for land for these conflicting uses have greatly disturbed the ecosystems involved, thus making the survival of the wild animals uncertain. Specifically, the problems of wildlife conservation in Nigeria are: (a) poaching; (b) indiscriminate burning of the vegetation; (c) uncontrolled grazing activities in the reserves; (d) intensive logging for domestic and industrial uses; (e) user rights on the reserves enjoyed by the traditional owners of the land before reservation; (f) lack of adequate funds to manage the reserves; (g) ineffective legislation; (h) lack of trained manpower; (i) urban sprawl; and (j) infrastructural development of roads, electric and telegraph lines, and irrigation schemes, all within the game reserves.

The future for Nigerian animal wildlife depends on the nation's ability to conserve what is left either in their natural habitat or, at least, in zoological gardens. The task is not simple under conditions of economic depression, with inadequate manpower and without effective management of game reserves. In these circumstances, the game reserves should be reduced to manageable numbers, while state governments should win public sympathy through adequate conservation publicity and the provision of sufficient vehicles and personnel to manage the game reserves.

The policy of land-use in game reserves should be reviewed, while researches should be conducted on (a) the levels of land-use that could be consistent with maintaining wild animals in the reserves, (b) the number and species of animals hunted per year, (c) the population of animal species in the game reserves and their habitat suitability, (d) the endangered and extinct animal species and specific reasons for the decline in their populations, and (e) human problems peculiar to each reserve and ways of minimizing them.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , Autumn 1988 , pp. 239 - 249
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adeyoju, S. Kolade (1975). Forestry and the Nigerian Economy. Ibadan University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria: xvii + 294 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Afolayan, T.A. & Ajayi, S.S. (1983). Fifty years of Nigerian wildlife resources. Nigerian Field, 43(4), pp. 130–44, illustr.Google Scholar
Agboola, S.A. (1979). An Agricultural Atlas of Nigeria. Oxford University Press, Oxford, London & Glasgow: xiv + 248 pp. + more than 100 maps.Google Scholar
Ajayi, S.S. (1971). Wildlife as a source of protein in Nigeria: some priorities for development, Nigerian Field, 36, pp. 115–27, illustr.Google Scholar
Ajayi, S.S. (1972). Wildlife tourism in Tanzania: possibilities in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Forestry, 2(1), pp. 34–9, illustr.Google Scholar
Ajayi, S.S. (1974). The Biology and Domestication of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse). Ph.D. thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria: 350 pp., illustr. (mimeogr.).Google Scholar
Ajayi, S.S. (1975). Domestication of the African Giant Rat. Kwara State Printing and Publishing Corporation, Ilorin, Nigeria: vi + 44 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Ajayi, S.S. (1983). Domestication of mammals in Africa. Nigerian Field, 43(4), pp. 145–56, illustr.Google Scholar
Allen, P.T.E. & Shinde, N.N. (1981). Landuse Area Data for Nigeria. Development of Technical Services in Forestry Cartography Project Working Document No. 1, vol. 2, Fo:NIR/77/009 FGN/UNDP/FAO, Federal Department of Forestry, Ibadan, Nigeria: 85 pp., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Anadu, P. A. & Oates, J.F. (1982). The Status of Wildlife in Bendel State with Recommendations for Its Conservation. A report submitted to MANR, Bendel State, Nigeria: 38 pp., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Anadu, P.A., Oates, J.F. & Elamah, P.A. (1983). Threats to the Survival of Nigeria's Wildlife: Case Study of the Bushmeat Trade in Bendel State. A Report Submitted to Bendel State Min. of Agric, Federal Min. of Agriculture, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, the Network Zoological Society, and the World Wildlife Fund (U.S.A.): 23 pp. + map, mimeogr.Google Scholar
Aurson, P.A. (1957). A Historical Sketch of the Forest of Benin. Conservation of Forests, Western Region, Nigeria: 24 pp., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Ayeni, J.S.O. (1979). Aguineafowl research programme in Nigeria. Malimbus, 1(1), pp. 32–5.Google Scholar
Ayeni, J.S.O. (1980 a). The Biology and Utilization of Helmet Guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeala Pallas) in Nigeria. Ph.D. thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; 340 pp., illustr., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Ayeni, J.S.O. (1980 b). Happy game-viewing at the Kainji Lake National Park. Niger Power Review, pp. 18–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ayeni, J.S.O., Afolayan, T.A. & Ajayi, S.S. (1982). Introductory Handbook on Nigerian Wildlife. Saolog Printing Production, Ilorin, Nigeria: vii + 80 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Charter, J.R. (1969). Nigeria Vegetation: Ecological Zones, 4 pp., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Charter, J.R. (1971). The economic value of wildlife in Nigeria. Pp. 115–25 in The Development of Forestry Resources in the Economic Advancement of Nigeria (Eds Onochie, C.F.A. & Adeyoju, S.K.). Proceedings of the Inaugural Conference of the Forestry Association in Nigeria, University of Ibadan, 6–9 10, xi + 459 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Child, G.S. & Hensha, W.J. (1971). The development of wildlife in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Forestry, 1(2), pp. 69–71, illustr.Google Scholar
Clawson, H. (1974). Conflicts, strategies, and possibilities for consensus in forest land use and management. In Forest Policy for the Future: Conflict, Compromise, Consensus (Ed. Clawson, M.). Papers and Discussions from a Forum on Forest Policy for the Future, 8–9 May 1974, Washington, DC. REF Working papers LW-1. John Hopkins University Press for Resources for the Future, Baltimore, Maryland, USA: 360 pp., illustr.: [not available for checking].Google Scholar
Dorst, J. & Dandelot, P. (1970). A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa. Collins, London, England, UK: 287 pp. + maps, illustr.Google Scholar
Egunjobi, J.K. (1979). An appraisal of the savanna burning problem. Pp. 160–5. In Wildlife Management in Savanna Woodlands: Recent Progress in African Studies (Eds Ajayi, S.S. & Halstead, L.B.). Taylor & Francis Ltd, London, England, UK: xiii + 237 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Ekeke, B.A. & Osakwe, M.E. (1986). Bush burning and poaching impacts on large mammals distribution at Kainji Lake National Park. Pp. 699–705 in The Challenge of Deforestation in Nigeria (Ed. Oguntala, A.B.). Proc. of the 16th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN), Minna, Niger State, 7–11 12 1986: 724 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
FAO (1970). Department of Forestry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria: Wildlife Management. Based on the Work of W.H. Holsworth, Fo:SF/NIR 12, Technical Report 1, Rome, Italy: vi + 32 pp. + map, illustr.Google Scholar
FAO (1975). Wildlife Management Consultant, Nigeria: The Ecology and Management of Yankari Game Reserve. Fo: DP/NIR/72/002, Technical Report, Rome, Italy: vii + 106 pp., 6 figsGoogle Scholar
Federal Department of Forestry (1984 a). Nigerian Forestry Statistics. FOR/MEU/STAT/PUB/No. 2, Forestry Projects Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (World Bank Assisted Project), Ibadan, Nigeria: 47 pp.Google Scholar
Federal Department of Forestry (1984 b). Manpower Study of the Forestry Sector in Nigeria. Prepared by Skoup for Forestry Project Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, World Bank Project, Federal Department of Forestry, Ibadan, Nigeria: xxx + 154 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Federal Office of Statistics (1961). Agricultural Sample Surveys 1955–60. Bulletins 1–5, Northern, Western, and Eastern Nigeria, unpaged, illustr.Google Scholar
Federal Office of Statistics (1972). Results of Crop Estimation Survey 1968–69, 1969–70, and 1970–71. Rural Economic Survey of Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria: unpaged, illustr.Google Scholar
Fishwick, R.W. (1961). Some Notes on the History of Forestry in Northern Nigeria. Gasikia Press, Kaduna, Nigeria: 8 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Forestry Division (1974). Bendel State Forest Estate Forest Reservation Data, Benin Remainder. Bendel State of Nigeria Forestry Division, Benin, Nigeria: unpaged, mimeogr.Google Scholar
Forestry Division (1981). Memorandum Submitted to the State Adhoc Committee on Agriculture. MANR, Benin, Nigeria: 22 pp., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Iloeje, N.P. (1981). A New Geography of Nigeria. Longman, London, England, UK: vi + 201 pp. + maps.Google Scholar
Kennedy, J.D. (1942). The development of forest legislation in Nigeria: an outline. Farm and Forest, 3, 31 pp.Google Scholar
Laurent, C.K., Kriesel, H.C., Olatunbosun, D., Purvis, M. & Saylor, R.G. (1969). Agricultural Investment Strategy in Nigeria. CSNRD 26, Nig. Inst. of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan & Michigan State University Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA: 206 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Milligan, K. (1979). An Ecological Basis for the Management of Lake Kainji National Park. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria: 317 pp., illustr., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (1986). Tree Crop Development Projects in Nigerian Information Booklet. Federal Department of Agriculture, Benin City, Nigeria: 20 pp.Google Scholar
Onadeko, S.A. & Meduna, A.J. (1986). Some indications of the ecological impacts of deforestation on wildlife conservation. Pp. 715–24 in The Challenge of Deforestation in Nigeria (Ed. Oguntala, A.B.). Proc. of the 16th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN), Minna, Niger State, 7–11 12 1986: 724 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Osemeobo, G.J. (1978). A Management Plan for the Zugurma Sector of the Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria. Federal Department of Forestry, Lagos, Nigeria: 24 pp., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Osemeobo, G.J. (1982). A Study of Problems Inherent in the Bendel State Forest Revenue Collection. M.Sc. dissertation, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria: 121 pp., illustr., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Osemeobo, G.J. (1985). An Assessment of Forest Land Use in Bendel State of Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria: 252 pp., illustr., mimeogr.Google Scholar
Petrides, G.A. (1965). Advisory Report on Wildlife and National Parks in Nigeria (1962). Special publication No 18, American Committee for International Wildlife Protection, Bronx, New York 10460, USA: 48 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Rogers, W.A. (1979). The implications of woodland burning for wildlife management. Pp. 151–9 in Wildlife Management in Savanna Woodlands: Recent Progress in African Studies (Eds Ajayi, S.S. & Halstead, L.B.). Taylor & Francis Ltd, Macklin Street, London, England, UK: xiii + 237 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Sikes, Sylvia K. (1970). Wildlife conservation and the public in Nigeria. Pp. 84–90 in The Development of Forest Resources in the Economic Advancement of Nigeria (Eds Onochie, C.F.A. & Adeyoju, S.Kolade). Proc. of the Inaugural Conf. of the Forestry Assoc. of Nigeria (FAN), University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, 6–9 10 1970: xi + 459 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Spinage, C.A. (1979). What is wildlife management? Pp. 186–93 in Wildlife Management in Savanna Woodlands: Recent Progress in African Studies (Eds Ajayi, S.S. & Halstead, L.B.). Taylor & Francis Ltd, Macklin Street, London, England, UK: xiii + 237 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Staffords, G.P.E. (1986). Deforestation and wildlife management: the case of the Nigerian National bird. Pp. 678–94 in The Challenge of Deforestation in Nigeria (Ed. Oguntala, A.B.). Proc. of the 16th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN), Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, 7–11 12 1986: 724 pp., illustr.Google Scholar