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  • Hundreds of Global South climate organisers gathering ahead of COP27

    Hundreds of Global South climate organisers gathering ahead of COP27

    In the lead-up to COP27, the 27th UN climate summit, in Egypt holding November 2022, about 400 young climate mobilisers and organisers from across the Global South will gather at a Climate Justice Camp in Tunisia to co-create strategies and demand an equitable and just response to the climate crisis.

    Led by climate groups across Africa and the Middle East and kicking off on September 26 in Tunisia, the week-long Climate Justice Camp will host those living in some of the world’s most affected regions as they come together to build bridges of solidarity across movements in the Global South, collectively strategise to increase global awareness of the need for systemic change, and prioritise an intersectional transition that puts the wellbeing of people and planet before the profits of corporations.

    The Climate Justice Camp gives young people from around the world a platform to create connections between climate movements in the Global South, so that we can build essential intersectional capacity to challenge the prevailing narratives of politicians and multinational corporations that seek to preserve the current power structure.”

    Ahmed El Droubi, Regional Campaigns Manager, Greenpeace Middle East & North Africa, said: “The least responsible nations and communities are suffering the most from the impacts of the climate emergency, which is further deepening historical injustices. In November, world leaders will be making decisions in Egypt, which will affect the future of our communities. We in the Global South need to be at the front of this process to apply pressure for real climate action rather than it being another photo opportunity producing empty words and pledge.”

    Tasnim Tayari, I Watch Head of Citizen Engagement said: “For many Global South communities, access to things like the internet, transportation, and funding which enables groups in other parts of the world to organise as a movement is often limited. The Climate Justice Camp gives us mass access to a space where we can work together to build a climate conversation centred on the Global South, and continue to remain connected.

    “For environmental organisers here in Tunisia and North Africa, the international networks created during the camp will give us invaluable opportunities to share and learn about approaches to climate campaigning in different contexts. These reflections will be taken back to our communities, fostering broader public engagement on environmental issues.
    We are all at risk and must come together, from civil society and grassroots movements, to religious institutions and decision-makers, to bring about meaningful political and systemic change for us and future generations that is developed through the lens of justice and equity.”

    Almost 400 youth climate representatives will be attending the Climate Justice Camp, from regions including Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific. Dozens of climate groups including I Watch, Youth For Climate Tunisia, Earth Hour Tunisia, Climate Action Network (CAN), Powershift Africa, African Youth Commission, Houloul, AVEC, Roots, Greenpeace MENA, 350.org, and Amnesty International have been collaborating to bring the camp together.

    With a focus on young people as change-makers, mobilisers at the camp will create networks of connection, engage in skill sharing and workshops, and build up a Global South grassroots agenda that adds mounting pressure for leaders involved in COP27 and beyond to prioritise the urgent needs of communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.

  • Nigerian Park Ranger Wins The 2021 Wildlife Ranger Award worth £30,000 At The Tusk Conservation Awards

    Nigerian Park Ranger Wins The 2021 Wildlife Ranger Award worth £30,000 At The Tusk Conservation Awards

    Sulieman Saidu, a Nigerian, emerged winner of the 2021 Tusk Conservation Wildlife Ranger Award worth £30,000.

    The award ceremony was held at the BFI Southbank in London The Tusk Conservation Award which was established in 2013 has since then  been celebrating African-based Conservation leaders and Wildlife Park Rangers for their significant impact in the field.

    A recognition Sulieman Saidu is well deserving of as a Senior Game Guard Ranger at the Yankari National Park whose hard work and tenacity in monitoring elephant population, combating poaching and helping to reduce human-elephant conflict is not only protecting a gravely endangered speices but is also helping to maintain the rich biodiversity of the environment.

    The Yankari Game Reserve situated in Bauchi State home to one of the largest remaining elephant populations in West Africa and Nigeria’s richest wildlife site would not be the Park it is today without the Sulieman Sadiu.

    The Nick Morgan Foundation the official sponsors of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award, believe that recognising the unsung heroes of our time will be a source of motivation to future conservationist leaders. Founder of the Nick Morgan Foundation and Board Member of Tusk, Nick Morgan, said: ” There are times when it is important to single out the work of one individual to serve as an example for others who contribute to conservation, or who might want to contribute to conservation in the future.

    He added that Saidu should be rightly recognised for his achievement and should be considered as a true hero of our times, one that richly deserves the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award for 2021 and that he was proud that the Nick Morgan Foundation is the official sponsor of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award and hopes that it will continue to be for many years to come.

    Also speaking at the event, the Duke of Cambridge Prince William who presented the awards paid tribute to those risking their lives to protect the threatened speices in Africa.

  • Godfather of Biodiversity Thomas Lovejoy Dies at 80

    Godfather of Biodiversity Thomas Lovejoy Dies at 80



    Thomas Lovejoy one among the world’s leading conservation biologist died on Saturday, December 25. Lovejoy had enjoyed a 50 year long career which carried him round the world as a conservation proponent. He was the first to use the term “biodiversity” and also among the world’s foremost experts on biodiversity in the amazon.

    Dr Lovejoy served as a University Professor within the Department of Environmental Science and Policy in the Mason’s College of Science in 2010. He also served as a scientific director for Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth.

    Thomas Lovejoy was a colossus among world leaders in environmental management. Being also a good and decent person, his loss is devastating to humanity and indeed the planet and he will be sorely missed.

    Dr Thomas was both Founder and President of the non-profit Amazon Biodiversity Center and the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in the central Amazon (with INPA, Brazil’s National Insitute of Amazon Research).
    He served on science and environmental councils under the administration of Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton and as Science Envoy for Presidents Obama and Biden. He was also a Senior Fellow at the United Nation Foundation.

    As an international climate scientist of high esteem, Professor Lovejoy focused on the critical importance of sustainability, he also made many consequential contributions to our understanding of climate change as we know it today and employed a cross disciplinary approach to finding solutions to the greatest and grandest challenges to our era.

    In April 2021 Dr Lovejoy joined an elite group of scholars recognised for their contributions to Science and research upon his induction into the National Academy of Sciences. Also in 2019 he was named one of Virginia’s Outstanding Scientists, honouring him for his globally significant contributions to the field of science.

    For many decades Lovejoy associated with the National Geographic Society, since receiving his first grant to study the ecology of rainforest birds in the Amazon in 1971. He also served as a member of the society’s Committee for Research and Exploration, Ocean Restoration Advisory Council; he chaired the Big Cats Initiatives Grants Committee and the Advisory Committee of the Great Energy Challenge; also as a scientific advisor to the Society’s Chief Scientist and its Perpetual Planet Expeditions.

    “To know Tom was to know and extraordinary scientist, Professor, advisor, and an unyielding champion for our plantet” said Jill Tiefenthaler, Chief Executive Officer of National Geographic in an online statement. He further added that Dr Thomson was a consummate connector, helping bring people and organisations together to preserve and protect some of our most fragile ecosystem and cornerstone speices”

    In 2019, he was selected as a National Geographic Explorer at Large, a title he held until his demise.

  • World Vulture Day 2020: NCF drums up support for vultures

    World Vulture Day 2020: NCF drums up support for vultures

    Vultures are not dirty animals. They are fascinating species that serve a crucial purpose in the ecosystem as efficient waste management agents. Even though other species are doing the same task, the vulture does it better, faster and more efficiently than any other. Pathogens from carrions eaten by the vultures do not survive through the birds’ digestive tracts so there is no risk of transmitting deadly diseases through droppings like other scavengers.

    Sadly though, the population of the vultures are rapidly reducing in Nigeria. Of the seven species of vulture found in the country, five are classified as vulnerable, but only one can be easily seen in the wild.

    Vultures play a vital role in disease reduction in the ecosystem

    The situation is dire for these specialist cleaners of the ecosystem. This is the conclusion of experts at the World Vulture Day webinar organized by the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) to mark the event this year.

    According to Dr Stella Egbe-Iruoje, the significance of the decline of this species population is the creation of a gap in the ecological role played by the species in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem.
    She noted that some human activities which are carried out innocently cost the country’s vulture population severely.

    Read also: #SaveTheVultures: They need all the help

    “One example is from bioaccumulation of toxic substances from pesticides, herbicides and other agricultural chemicals,” Egbe-Iruoje said. “These substances getting into the vulture’s diet affect the quality of their eggs. They make the eggshell weak and so the eggs break before they are hatched, leading to further decline in the species population.”

    if the role played by the vulture in environmental cleanup were to be paid for, the cost will run into billions.
    Source: webinar presentation

    She mentioned that anthropogenic activities leading to habitat loss and sometimes deliberate poisoning of the species are also responsible for the decrease in population. She called on communities to see the vulture as a vital part of a functional ecosystem instead of stigmatizing it.

    Also speaking at the event, Mr Adewale Awoyemi, head of forest centre, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) illustrated that if the role played by the vulture in environmental cleanup were to be paid for, the cost will run into billions.


    Awoyemi joined the program host, Emmanuel Olabode and NCF Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Adebayo Memudu to call on communities, governments, conservationists, nature lovers and all other enthusiasts to come to the aid of the vultures to avoid severe public health and other consequences.

  • Celebrating conservation champions on IWD 2020

    Celebrating conservation champions on IWD 2020

    It is another March 8, the International Women’s Day, a time specially set aside to appreciate and celebrate women.

    This year’s theme is #EachforEqual and we are commemorating IWD 2020 by celebrating the achievements of three leading women in the field of conservation in Nigeria. These women have given voice to the voiceless flora and fauna of Nigeria. They deserve resounding ovation.

    Meet Rachel Ikemeh, Iroro Tanshi and Stella Egbe in our International Women’s Day special.

    Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh


    Rachel Ikemeh

    Rachel is the Project lead/founder of the SW/Niger Delta, a non-governmental organization pioneering conservation actions for a small but unique population of endangered chimpanzees in southwestern Nigeria and for critically endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus monkey across their range – another rare species of primates found only in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The project’s efforts span over 5,000km2 of highly threatened forest landscape.

    Read Also: Experts make case for intensified effort in Cross River gorilla conservation

    Her contributions and commitments to primate conservation earned her a seat on the International Primatological Society (IPS) Conservation and Education committees. She is the Co-Vice Chair Africa section of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and a member of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Education Caucus. She also co-led  the steering committee that founded the African Primatological Society (APS).

    Rachel is committed to all of these groups and always seeks ways to maximize her associations with these networks and explore opportunities for collaboration to promote African leadership an enhance primate conservation across board.

    the critically endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus monkey…
    Photo: Noel Rowe

    She is an alumni of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, U.K where she studied for a degree in Conservation Project Management. She is a two-time nominee of the Future for Nature Awards and twice long-listed for the Whitley Awards also well-known as the ‘Green Oscars’. She recently became a National Geographic Explorer.

    For more than a decade she has worked in the Guinean Forests of West Africa which is home to over 2,200 unique plant and animal species.  The threatened primates on which she has focused serve as a reference point for the broader assemblage of threatened species and bolster her efforts to engage local communities in their protection.  Rachel offers an excellent example of how to combine a specialized education, training and field experience to serve as a conservation leader. Her purpose driven work provides critical link between the Nigerian government and the people sharing the habitat with some of the world’s most unique but threatened species.  

    Iroro Tanshi

    Iroro Tanshi

    Iroro Tanshi is an award-winning Nigerian bat ecologist and conservationist, whose interest spans research on landscape, community and population ecology of bats that generate evidence for conservation of threatened bat species. She is also passionate about raising the next generation of biologists and conservationists, while developing local infrastructure for research and conservation. 

    Read also: SaveTheVultures: They need all the help

    Her career spans more than a decade during which she has a track record of species protection, worked with policy makers and mentored budding conservationists. Iroro is a lecturer at the University of Benin. She is currently finishing a doctoral program at Texas tech University, Lubbock, USA, where she’s also a teaching assistant. She holds two Masters’ degrees in biodiversity and conservation from the University of Benin, and University of Leeds. As part of her efforts to conserve Nigerian bats and raise capacity of local conservation scientists, she co-founded a Nigerian based NGO – Small Mammal Conservation Organisation (SMACON). She is also a founding member and first co-Chair of Bat Conservation Africa (BCA) – a network of bat researchers and conservationists working to protect African bats. During her leadership of BCA, she helped fund raise to support researchers and institutions with important library resources and organized a workshop to train budding scientists on important bat research skills. Iroro initiated the Bats of Nigeria Project and is a strong critic against wide spread misconduct and sub-par research in Nigerian science.


    Iroro initiated the Bats of Nigeria Project and is a strong critic against wide spread misconduct and sub-par research in Nigerian science.

    Iroro is currently working on conserving foraging habitat and roosting caves of the range-restricted endangered Short tailed roundleaf nosed bat, Hipposideros curtus. The major threats to the species are habitat loss from wildfires and cave disturbance from fruit bat hunting, which in addition to declining population is driving the species to the brink of extinction. The key strategy to reducing these threats to this species is working with local farmers and fruit bat hunters, through collaborating with other NGOs and relevant government agencies.

    Stella Egbe

    Stella Egbe

    Stella is a conservation biologist who has worked extensively on maintenance of habitat integrity to avoid loss of biodiversity which — if it happens — would be detrimental to man and wildlife. She holds strongly that continuous research is the key to understanding the landscape and land use interactions which will provide basic knowledge for sustainable habitat use.

    Read also: APLORI trains young scientists on field ornithology, biostatistics, others

    Balancing the needs of humans while maintaining ecosystem quality in Nigeria is what has kept her forging ahead in the field of conservation. Stella holds strongly that mitigating negative anthropogenic activities, while learning and enjoying all that nature has to offer is a key conservation strategy that should be embedded in the hearts. Stella loves helping new conservationists with fundamentals of field work.

    Stella loves helping new conservationists with fundamentals of field work.
    Photo: birdlife.org

    She has carried out her research at the Afi Mountains and Wildlife Sanctuary, looking at the effects of activities on forest edges using birds as indicators. She has also collaborated on projects with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPD), Nigerian Conservation Society (NCF), A. P Leventis Ornithological Institute (APLORI) and so on.

  • Conservation experts task Ogun community on elephant protection

    Conservation experts task Ogun community on elephant protection

    Many trees depend on the elephants’ digestive system for their seeds to be effectively propagated and if elephants become extinct, such trees would be prone to extinction. When the forest elephants eat the fruits of certain trees, they break the dormancy of the seeds and when they are excreted, the dispersed seeds germinate and sprout from the dung, giving hope for to combat climate change. 

    READ ALSO: Overgrazing, others threaten Hadejia Nguru Wetlands – NCF

    These are some of the revelations made on Monday by conservation experts at one of their community sensitisation programmes on the need to protect elephants in what is left of their natural home range in Nigeria. 

    The experts, from the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s Forest Elephant Initiative and Rufford Foundation’s Elephant Conservation and Awareness Project, pointed out that the animals’ intelligence enables them to remember previous encounters with humans and to determine a course of action.

    READ ALSO: How baby elephant strayed, died in Okomu

    Speaking at Atikiriji Odo, a community in the boundary area of Omo Forest, Ogun State, Dr. Tajudeen Amusa, from the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ilorin, helped the community to appreciate the importance of the forest, the role of wildlife, especially forest elephants in maintaining the health of forest and how to live in peaceful coexistence with nature.

    Dr. Amusa who has studied elephants throughout Nigeria for more than seven years highlighted the consequences of encroaching into the elephants’ territories, reminding the community that it is a criminal offence to kill elephants since they are protected by both local and international laws.


    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5JIHydnCih/?igshid=1enmbac2gur4k

    “The forest elephant is vulnerable to extinction and so, it is hard to kill it and escape dire consequences and punishment from the government,” he said.

    He added that planting red pepper around their crops will help protect it from raiding by elephants.

    Responding, Baale Atikiriji Odo, Afisu Busari, the Community leader thanked the experts for the initiative. He expressed appreciation to the team for travelling through difficult terrain to reach them with the crucial information and urged them to keep the good work up. The outreach was supported by Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), Wild Planet Trust, Elephant Crisis Fund, Rufford Foundation among others.

    According to recent estimates, there are less than 1000 individuals elephants of two different species — the forest elephant and the savannah elephants — in Nigeria. About 350 savannah elephants reside in the Yankari Game Reserve, while a viable population of less than 100 forest elephants reside in Omo Forest Reserve. Others are found in Kamuku Park, Okomu National Park and Osse River Park. 

  • Stepping Up Climate Action for a Resilient Africa

    Stepping Up Climate Action for a Resilient Africa

    Nisreen Eslaim, a young woman from Sudan who actively participated in the Peoples’ Revolution which triumphed over a 30-year autocracy, shares a devastating story that is phenomenon turning more challenging than winning the democratic struggle.

    People in her country are faced by another catastrophic ecological crisis of monumental proportion, which has already killed over 60 people and destroyed 37,000 homes.

    Nisreen is now very worried that though the people had capacity to mobilize themselves to rise against tyranny, their capacity to defeat the weather-inspired floods, which have become frequent, is diminished.

    She wonders why the “Loss and Damage” framework she has heard in UNFCCC Negotiations has not helped her people.

    “These are just some of the voices from people, generally fatigued by endless negotiations, conferences and declarations which end up gathering dust on the shelves of our ministries as the inaction on climate change, from national to international level, lingers across the board,” said Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

    Such concerns are being raised at yet another Conference on Climate and Development in Africa (CCDA-VIII), holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the theme: “Stepping Up Climate Action for a Resilient Africa: a Race We Can and Must Win”.

    “Do we need to be meeting year after year, making declarations which we do not honour?” Mithika quizzed, while re-echoing the request of the UN Secretary General for leaders to talk less and limit themselves to concrete actions they can take to address climate change.

    The action portfolios include the mobilization of public and private sources of finance to drive decarbonisation of all priority sectors and advance resilience; accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy; reducing emissions; advancing mitigation and resilience at urban and local levels; and advancing global efforts to address and manage the impacts and risks of climate change, particularly in those communities and nations most vulnerable.

    The vulnerability of the African continent to the effects of climate change is no longer in doubt, with cyclones, floods, mudslides, massive erosions and drought all affecting masses within the continent.

    Some of these effects of climate change can directly be linked to conflict, displacements, deaths, reduced agricultural activities and disease, all which have direct impact on economies of each nation.

    According to Ahmed Shehu, Regional Coordinator of the Civil Society Network of Lake Chad Basin, over 30,000 people have lost their means of livelihood to climate change which affected the Lake Chad Basin.

    He says the water at the Lake Chad had been shrinking daily and over 70 million people who relied on it for their livelihood were being affected and at the risk of also losing their means of livelihood.

    “And the insurgency contributed to it because people can no longer have access to the water because of trans-border issues, and it is causing drought, feminine and desertification,” he said.

    With the recent climate impacts of Cyclone Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, droughts and floods in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape; it is obvious that many African countries are just a step away to a natural disaster of sinking into a circle of poverty and prolonged lack of social and economic opportunities caused by the effects of climate change.

    “We challenge our leaders to walk the talk, and lead from the front,” said Mithika, in furtherance of the quest to step up climate action for a resilient Africa, and indeed globally, and to win the race.

    PACJA has worked with the Pan African Parliament to advance cooperation, which has crystalized into the African Climate Legislation Initiative (ACLI), an innovative and unique arrangement for the African context. This will enable African civil society and governments to work jointly to pursue shared vision of responsiveness to the health of the planet and the concerns of future generations.

    “We as the civil society reaffirm our commitment to work with all Actors, as long as this aligns with the aspirations and expectations of Africa’s people. In all successive negotiation outcomes,

    Africa has lost due to our inability to stand firm, and due to our susceptibility to forces of manipulation, intimidation and carrot-dangling,” said Mithika.

    The vulnerable people on the African continent can only keep hoping that the unity of purpose that brings climate actors to CCDA will contribute to a process which will shape the future of humanity and health of the planet.

  • APLORI trains young scientists on field ornithology, biostatistics, others

    APLORI trains young scientists on field ornithology, biostatistics, others

    Promoting citizen science is a rising global trend aimed at bridging the gap in environmental conservation. It is with this objective that the A. P Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) through the Nigerian Bird Atlas Project (NiBAP) organised a one month Introductory Ornithology course in both Yankari Game Reserve, Bauchi state and Leventis farms, Weppa, Agenebode, Edo state.

    This training was funded by National Geographic Society Grants, a total of 30 scientists (15 in Yankari and 15 in Weppa) from different parts of the country were trained in Field Ornithology, Introductory biostatistics (R statistical package), data collection and General Ecology.

    The 26-day-training held in July was facilitated by professionals in the field from different parts of the country. Trainees carried out mini projects as a first-hand practice of all they had learnt during the course.

    The expected outcome for the participants was a replication of these experiences in their local communities and this has been achieved with records of Bird clubs springing up across the nation in the last month.

    These efforts are also contributing to the Nigerian Bird Atlas data which is a long-term project aimed at monitoring bird population in Nigeria.

  • WCS celebrates four years of zero elephant poaching in Yankari

    WCS celebrates four years of zero elephant poaching in Yankari

    Yankari Game Reserve, home to Nigeria’s largest remaining elephant population, has experienced zero poaching in the last four years, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has reported.

    The announcement was made just days before officials gather for the meeting of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The success underscores the importance of tightening up the closure of importing countries’ domestic ivory markets, along with vigilant anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts.

    WCS, which helps manage the protected area, attributes the success to well-managed, well-equipped and highly trained rangers who patrol the 866 square miles (2,244 square kilometers) reserve, which also supports important populations of lion, buffalo, hippo, roan and hartebeest.

    READ ALSO: World Rangers Day 2019 in Omo

    Yankari’s elephant population remains stable at 100-150 individuals, and is expected to grow in the coming years if conservationists remain steadfast in keeping poachers out of the reserve. As recently as 2006 there were as many as 350 elephants in Yankari, but a period of heavy poaching from 2006 to 2014 reduced their numbers dramatically. Since 2014 Yankari has been managed through a co-management agreement between Bauchi State Government and WCS.

    Yankari’s elephant population remains stable at 100-150 individuals
    photo: WCS Nigeria

    Elephants are critically endangered in Nigeria, with the Yankari elephants being the only savanna elephants remaining in the country. Some forest elephants also still remain in low numbers in the forested south including Cross River National Park area (where WCS is also working to secure forest elephants and the Cross River Gorilla). Historically the Yankari savanna elephants may have been ecologically connected with the Sambisa area (impacted by Boko Haram) and perhaps also Gashaka Gumti National Park and neighboring areas of Cameroon. This is a core critical area for elephant conservation in the Sudano-Sahel Region.

    READ ALSO: Ogun elephant video: No one was injured, says expert

    Originally created as a game reserve in 1956, Yankari was upgraded to a national park in 1991. It was managed by the National Parks Service until 2006 when responsibility for the management of the reserve was handed back to Bauchi State Government. Since then tourism infrastructure has been dramatically improved. Yankari is now one of the most popular tourism destinations in Nigeria.

    “Rangers are the key to stopping poaching in protected areas” said Andrew Dunn,WCS Nigeria Program Director “Yankari is an amazing success story and shows the world that with targeted use of limited funds, and government commitment, progress can still be made provided that rangers are properly trained and supervised.”

    Rangers are the key to stopping poaching in protected areas
    photo: Natalie Ingel/WCS Nigeria
     

    Dunn attributes the success in the reserve to several factors. The leadership of Nachamada Geoffrey, Director of the Yankari Landscape for WCS, directs efforts to ensure a zero tolerance policy for corruption coupled with making sure all rangers are well-equipped in the field and trained with regular refresher courses. SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Supporting Tool) together with real time radio communications is used help guide and monitor the rangers and optimize their impact.WCS supplements rangers’ incomes with additional monies per night as an incentive whenever they are on a long-distance foot patrol.

    Nachamada Geoffrey stated, “Solid logistical support (food rations), equipment, and motivation through regular salary payments support our ranger operations day in and day out. Most of the rangers are recruited from the local community and are highly motivated to protect the wildlife of Yankari.”

    David Adejo Andrew of Nigeria’s Federal Department of Forestry and Federal Ministry of Environment also commended WCS’s efforts.

    “The efforts of the WCS in conserving the largest pool of elephant populations at the Yankari Game Reserve has given Nigeria a good platform for conserving other Elephant population in the country. This has encouraged the Nigerian Government to work with the WCS to translate this success stories to other areas,” he said.

    The future outlook

    Of course in the long-term Yankari will only survive if it has the support of the surrounding communities. Yankari is one of the main sources of employment locally, including both rangers, hotel staff and elephant guardians. WCS is also working with local schools to help develop future conservation leaders. In addition, WCS has helped establish an informant network among the communities surrounding the reserve that provides critical information on poachers.

    Building on this foundation and work ethic, significantly more resources are urgently needed to fully establish the Reserves full management systems and effectiveness.

    WCS’s conservation efforts within Yankari are supported by the Bauchi State Government, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Embassy of France in Nigeria, Australian High Commission in Nigeria, Tusk Trust, the North Carolina Zoological Society, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, CITES-MIKE, the UNEP African Elephant Fund, the A.P. Leventis Conservation Foundation, the Lion Recovery Fund—an initiative of the Wildlife Conservation Network in partnership with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and the Elephant Crisis Fund—a joint initiative between Save The Elephants and the Wildlife Conservation Network, in partnership with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

  • World Rangers Day 2019 in Omo

    World Rangers Day 2019 in Omo

    On Wednesday 31st July, 2019, millions of people worldwide joined in celebrating rangers. Many organised special events, some organised photo sessions while others only gave the rangers a shout-out on the social media.

    In Omo wildlife reserve, Ogun State, Nigeria the World Rangers day was celebrated with a modest event spiced by news of the birth of twins by the wife of one of their colleagues.

    Researcher Stella Iruoje delivers opening address at World Rangers Day 2019

    As part of the event, the rangers had quizzes and talked about their work as rangers. The event was capped with eating, drinking and dancing at the Erin Camp, deep in the heart of the forest.

    Below are photos from the event.

    Rangers and community scouts at the 2019 World Rangers Day in Omo, Ogun State
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0l4Z4gnB15/?igshid=1uc0bkbctgy3a