NCF, others train hunters on widlife protection in Niger

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), with the support of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Save Our Species (IUCN SOS), funded by the European Union (EU), has organized a four-day training workshop for women, youths, hunters, and rangers.

Held at the Federal College of Wildlife Management, New Bussa, in Borgu Local Council of Niger State over the weekend.

Declaring the training open, the Director General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Dr. Joseph Onoja, disclosed that the foundation engaged the women, youths, and hunters from the support zone communities of Kainji Lake National Park by training them on sustainable livelihood options like grass-cutter rearing, bee-keeping, and shea butter production.

The training, themed “Community Support Group: Capacity Building Workshop for the Conservation of the Boundaries of Kainji Lake National Park,” was aimed at improving their livelihoods while sustaining the environment and the biodiversity that is an essential component within it.

The Director General, who spoke through the Species Conservation Manager, Dr. Stella Egbe, explained that the foundation has been working across the country for the past four decades to protect and conserve Nigeria’s unique ecosystem, pointing out that the organisation has a vision of a Nigeria where people prosper while living in harmony with nature, saying that with the support of the European Union and IUCN SOS, the foundation is depending on the framework of Kainji Lake National Park to push that vision.

“Through this project, we have built the capacity of rangers on habitat and biodiversity monitoring using technology, raised awareness in local communities by promoting the adoption of climate-smart agriculture and farming practices using nature-based solutions, and raised awareness in local communities,” Onoja stated.

The NCF boss noted that the foundation started the project in 2022 and appreciated the management of Kainji Lake National Park Service, who have been instrumental to the progress and have aided the foundation in mitigating challenges through the implementation of the project.

Speaking to the Guardian shortly, the Species Conservation Manager, Dr. Stella Egbe, hinted that the project, which started in 2022, had trained 100 women, 50 hunters, as well as 50 rangers on different components of the project, which include building the capacity of the rangers to use technology to monitor biodiversity and also to monitor habitat.

Dr. Egbe stressed that the objective of the training is to educate the hunters on the need to ensure the protection of the National Park for threatened species within the area, as well as to collaborate with the communities around the park so that the activities they carry out can be positive, helping in their livelihoods while also sustaining the conservation of the park.

She added that since the training began in 2022, the foundation has engaged 50 rangers and trained them on how to translate information from the field to the office, which can be used to make informed decisions to protect the wildlife and also protect the habitats, adding that livestock farmers were also engaged to make them aware of the dangers of overgrazing inside the park, which was one of the reasons that disrupted the quality of the major park.

She added, “This year, 2024, we have engaged women in the production of shea butter, which will encourage them to protect the trees that are providing shelter to species, and also help to mitigate the impact of climate change. Hunters and youths were engaged in farming grass-cutters and bee-keeping.”

She advised the participants to utilise the opportunity of the training by using it in a productive manner, to see the park as a gift and not as a wasted space.

The foundation had earlier engaged with the Federal College of Wildlife Management, the Kainji Lake National Park, as well as other research institutions in New Bussa.

Highlights of the workshop included the symbolic presentation of motorcycles, drones, laptops, camera traps, Samsung tablets, boots, and raincoats to the management of Kainji Lake National Park.