Illegal grazing in the Borgu sector of Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria

Abstract

Effects of illegal grazing in the Borgu sector of Kainji Lake National Park was studied by identifying the level of utilization of some plant species in the park by livestock and determining the impact of trampling during grazing on the vegetation cover of the park. Two areas were chosen systematically for the study. The two areas chosen are the two tracks where livestock activities were observed within the park-Wawa to Kali track and Olusegun Obasanjo track. Data were collected during the dry season. This was done by laying line transects of 100m length at 10m intervals across the livestock’s trampling trails; and using two quadrant plots of 50×50m selected randomly to determine the intensity of lopping and utilization of browse plants. The percentage of lopping of browse plants during illegal grazing indicates that Afzelia africana was the most utilized plant in both Wawa to Kali track (31%) and Olusegun obasanjo track (25%). There was 70% bareness along Olusegun Obasanjo track and 40% along Wawa to Kali track, which indicates that trampling by livestock within the park tends to expose the area to soil degradation.Key words: Illegal grazing, Kainji Lake National Park, Lopping, Trampling, Livestock