Knowledge of Nigeria Wildlife Conservation Laws Among Staff of Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria

Abstract

One of the key resources in effective management of National Parks is the knowledge base of the park staff. There is however little or no documented information about park official’s knowledge of the laws they uphold in Nigeria. This study assessed the knowledge base of Nigeria wildlife laws among park officials in Gashaka Gumti National Park (GGNP), Nigeria. Simple random sampling was used to administer structured questionnaire to 45 staff in the Head Office at Serti (HOS) and 140 staff in Main Park at Gashaka Gumti. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Majority (97.8%) had heard about wildlife laws and 136 (97.1%) understood the contents of the law. Majority 139(99.2%) knew the decree responsible for the establishment of national parks; however, a few could not distinctively identify the activities that constitute offences under this law. Majoriy (118 out of 185) rarely read the law in the park but by practice understood what constitutes offences in the park except for a few. For effective park management, proper orientation, education, training and re-training on the wildlife laws should be organized for the park officials at regular intervals.