Nigeria |
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| Location | In Northeast Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea. | ||
| National websites | tribeca.ios.com/~n123/nigerhme.htm | ||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Ambassador Zubair Mahmud Kazaure, 1333 16th street NW, Washington, DC 20036 | ||
| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM), Federal
Ministry of Works and Housing, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development,
Federal Ministry of Transport, Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), Nigerian
Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), Niger Delta Environmental Survey,
and Nigerian Conservation Foundation Federal Ministry of Commerce and Tourism, PMB 88, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria |
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| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | Organisation Nigerienne de Volontaires pour la Preservation de l'Environnement - ONVPE | ||
| Major Natural Resources | Nigeria had a natural abundance of forests both
tropical and not. It is by the coast as well, so it is rich in marine life. The Nigerian
economy relies heavily on fisheries and logging. Also, Nigeria has a good supply of
petroleum. Nigeria is also rich in minerals and precious metals, so mining is important as
well. Though it houses much wildlife especially in the coastal areas where it borders the
Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria does not have a booming ecotourism industry. www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ni.html www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv |
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| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Because of economic growth and population expansion,
natural ecological systems are being damaged. The coastal areas are especially affected,
since many people congregate there. Some problems caused by this expansion include soil
degradation, erosion, flooding, depletion of fisheries, oil pollution and waste pollution.
Droughts in the past years have also brought famine and loss of wildlife. Desertification
is one of the worst problems, and Nigeria's desert is creeping southward at about 0.6
km./yr. A main problem for Nigerian forests is deforestation due to uncontrolled logging
and tree felling. Plant extinction is also a big problem. Animals that are threatened
include the cheetah, the pygmy hippopotamus, the giraffe, the black rhinoceros, and the
giant eland, the sclater's guenous and the white throated guenon species of primates. www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ni.html www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv |
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| Statistics | Information Sources | ||
| Land area | 910,770,000 Sq. km. | www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ni.html | |
| Area of forest | 279,010ha | www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs-pdf/nigeria.pdf | |
| Area of wetlands | |||
| Area of territorial waters | 13,000 Sq. km. | www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ni.html | |
| Population | 117,171,000 | http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/h90/countries.htm | |
| Population Density | 0.1/Sq. km. | ||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | 3,011,469ha | www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas/data/nat.htm | |
| Fraction of land area protected (%) | 5% | ||
| Major Protected Areas | List from Information Center for the Environment- Baturiya Wetlands, Chad Basin, Cross River, Dagida, Falgore (Kogin Kano), Gashaka-Gumti, Gilli-Gilli, Kainji Lake, Kambari, Kashimbila, Kwale, Lame-Burra, Margadu-Kabak Wetlands, Nguru/Adiani Wetlands, Milliken Hill, Old Oyo, Ologbo, Orle River, Pandam, Yankari
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| Endemic Species | |||
| Birds | |||
| Reptiles | |||
| Amphibians | |||
| Fish | |||
| Invertebrates | |||
| Plants | |||
| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species | 26 | World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |
| Birds | 9 | ||
| Reptiles | 4 | ||
| Amphibians | 0 | ||
| Fish | 0 | ||
| Invertebrates | 1 | ||
| Plants | 18 | ||
| Extinct Species | World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal http://www.wcmc.org.uk/species/plants/geographic_table.htm | ||
| Birds | |||
| Reptiles | |||
| Amphibians | |||
| Fish | |||
| Invertebrates | |||
| Plants | 792 | ||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I | CITES-listed Species Database | ||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II | CITES-listed Species Database | ||
| Legislation | |||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | |||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | The Nigerian Biodiversity Strategy and Action
Plan (NBSAP), Protected Area Programme, Shelterbelts and Ecological Disaster Relief
Programmes.Forestry II programme, Linkage Programme, Tropical Forestry Action Programme
(TFAP), National Forestry Action Plan (NFAP), and the Environmental Management Project
(EMP) all protect endangered or threatened ecosystems. The Gulf of Guinea Large Marine
Ecosystem Project takes care of coastal areas by controlling water pollution and promoting
biodiversity. www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv |
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| Signatory to CITES | 7/11/75 | ||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | No | ||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 8/29/94 | ||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | |||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | No | ||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | 6/75 Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) 8/ 7/97 UN Convention to Combat Desertification 8/14/86 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea |
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| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||
| Fisheries | Fishing is an essential part of the Nigerian economy. Overfishing is becoming a problem for the industry though, as is water pollution. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Forestry / deforestation | Lumber is one of Nigeria's largest source of economy. Nigeria's southern rain forest is being reduced by about 3.5% each year, and deforestation is a definite problem. The Government is dealing with these problems by implementing some reforestation and afforestation programs. 95% of Nigeria's original forests have been logged, and now half of what is left is set aside as a reserve for primates, Cross River National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Ecotourism | Nigeria has 6 national parks in addition to the 32 game reserves, with both covering about 4,293,800ha of land. Tourism hasn't been very profitable in the past ten years (1988-99), but Nigeria is trying to change that, and efforts are being heightened to bring in more ecotourism. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Trade in wildlife products | Poaching is a problem in Nigeria, and is severely depleting wildlife populations. Illegal trade is a problem. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Hunting | There are 32 game reserves in Nigeria. Hunting, both legal and illegal, is putting a strain on the remaining wildlife. Cheetahs, pygmy hippopotami, giraffes, black rhinoceroses, and giant elands are disappearing, and many species of primates are threatened. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Other uses of natural resources | |||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||
| Air pollution | |||
| Water pollution | Oil spills have been hazardous to the surrounding wildlife, especially birds and marine animals. Oil, which is one of Nigeria's main commodities, is often transported around the Nigerian coast, and is potentially threatening because of oil spills. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Development activities | As is typical of all developing countries, Nigeria is experiencing population growth, which is obviously putting a strain on wildlife and its habitat through economic growth and urban expansion. The coastlands are especially affected. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Introduced species | Exotic species introduction has been a problem along the coastal areas. | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Legislation addressing these issues | Water Resources Master Plan, Water Resources Decree 101, National Water Rehabilitation Project, National Agricultural Land Development Auth. Decree, Oil Mineral Producing Areas Dev. Comm. Decree, Oil Pipelines Act, Oil in Navigable Waters Act, Oil in Navigable Waters Regulations, Harmful Waste (Special Criminal Provisions ) Decree, Federal Environmental Protection Agency Act, Federal Environmental Protection Agency Decree, Federal Environmental Protection (Amendment) Decree, Land Use Act Land Use (Validation of Certain Laws) Act, River Basins Development Authorities Act, Endangered Species (Control of International Trade & Traffic) Act, National Parks Decree (No. 36), Sea Fisheries Decree, National Policy on Environment | http://www.law.pace.edu/env/nigeria | |
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | The Government is implementing several programs that will help reforestation of some areas, such as Shelterbelts and Ecological Disaster Relief Programmes, Forestry II programme, Linkage Programme, Tropical Forestry Action Programme (TFAP), National Forestry Action Plan (NFAP), Environmental Management Project (EMP) | www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/nigeria/natur.htm#biodiv | |
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Kay Fung as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA