Today is World Nature Conservation Day, yet we still face varying challenges in conserving Nigeria’s endangered species.
The non-profit organization Wild Africa Fund Nigeria, whose “Say No to Illegal Bushmeat” campaign has been running, said, “Our iconic giraffes, rhinos, and cheetahs have already gone extinct due to illegal wildlife activities. It [would] be disastrous for Nigeria to lose its remaining endangered animals.
Nigeria’s tropical rainforest and savanna ecosystem were home to thousands of animal species in time past. However, illicit activities such as poaching and bush meat consumption have reduced the number of those species drastically, and the number of endangered species has increased greatly.
Some of these endangered species include the Cross River gorilla, the white-throated guenon, the pygmy hippopotamus, the black rhinoceros, the African wild dog, the cheetah, African Gray Parrot, the West African lion, the western gorilla, Anambra waxbill, white-backed vulture, pangolins, elephants, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, leopards, African grey parrot, African wild dog, olive Colobus, red Colobus, West African manatees, Dema gazelle, Sclater’s guenon, drill monkey, West African giraffe, martial eagle, white-backed vulture, hooded vulture, and Ibadan malimbe.
The challenges of conserving these species range from the increasing rate of deforestation in Nigeria to other factors such as excessive exploitation and the quest for bush meat. Deforestation alone has led to the loss of wildlife habitat, and climate change, thus, has influenced weather patterns, affecting species’ existence and distribution. Factors such as rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events can lead to impromptu species’ migration, habitat shifts, disruption of breeding cycles, and reduced availability of food and water resources.
However, the challenges of conserving endangered species go deeper than merely addressing bush meat consumption or deforestation; they involve examining some of the factors that lead to these actions. For example, with the increase in Nigeria’s population, particularly in Lagos state, there arises a need to build more houses and facilities to accommodate these people. Urbanization, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development surge to meet the demands of the growing population. Consequently, natural habitats are fragmented and degraded, leading to a loss of critical ecosystems for wildlife.
A study found that traditional medicine practitioners in Ogun State, Nigeria, were still trading some wildlife species listed under the Control of International Trade in Endangered Species, including the leopard (Panthera pardus), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), and elephant (Loxodonta africana).
A significant share of the people who patronize these practitioners are the poor masses who cannot afford modern healthcare. These same people earn their livelihood by hunting bush meats for consumption or trade. Therefore, ending the practice may result in these individuals losing their jobs or the food they can afford.
Nonetheless, poverty is a poor excuse for poaching and excessive exploitation of animal species. The issue is aggravated by inefficient enforcement of wildlife protection laws and weak penalties for wildlife crimes. Ignorance, insufficient funding, limited manpower, and inadequate infrastructure also hinder conservation efforts.
Importantly, the limited availability of data on the distribution of endangered species around Nigeria makes it difficult to avoid human-wildlife conflicts in human settlements or agricultural areas. The lack of an efficient conservation monitoring system in Nigeria has led to the retaliatory killings of animals, particularly large predators like lions, snakes, crocodiles, and elephants.
Hence, the challenges of conserving endangered species are a web.
