Benefits and Threats of Biodiversity Conservation in Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, Nigeria

Abstract

AbstractThe Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve (SCFR), which was officially established in 1930, is a biodiversity hotspot containing various ecosystem types, including freshwater, mangrove swamps and beach ridges, which formed a habitat to a variety of flora, fauna and microbes. Biodiversity of the reserve had sustained local communities in the area for decades, especially for the provision of food and edible fruits, water, timber and non-timber forest products, fuelwood, building materials, fibre, medicinal herbs and spices. The reserve is currently being threatened by several factors. Exotic nipa palm that was introduced into the area in the 1900s is fast displacing indigenous mangrove vegetation, not just in the forest reserve alone but in the entire Nigerian coastline. Oil exploration, which started in the area in the 1950s, opened up the area for human encroachment, farming, wood logging, waste disposal and palm wine tapping which is now threatening the survival of the forest reserve. Except urgent steps are taken to control unstainable resource exploitation in the forest reserve, the biodiversity of the area could be destroyed beyond remedy within few years.KeywordsAnthropogenic ImpactsBeach RidgeEthnobiologyFreshwater SwampsLegal FrameworkMangroveNipa PalmOil ExplorationResource Exploitation