The idea of wildlife conservation is as old as human existence. In making land sustain the production of annual crops of wildlife, the needs of wildlife are balanced with the perceived needs of humans by considering ecological principles, such as the habitat’s carrying capacity.
Thus, the conservation of natural resources in the wild has expanded to include various concepts such as rational use, sustained yield, multiple use, and restoration.
In Nigeria, the main national wildlife objectives include increasing animal protein supplies through bushmeat production, promoting game-viewing and tourism for foreign exchange, preserving national heritage, fostering wildlife conservation for education and research, generating employment opportunities in rural areas, and promoting ecological diversity.
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Philosophy of Wildlife Management
Wildlife management involves protecting endangered species and their habitats, as well as managing non-threatened agricultural pests and game species.
Most techniques in wildlife management aim to preserve and control habitat. Other methods, such as reforestation, predator control (e.g., trapping), species re-introduction, or hunting, may also be used to manage desirable or undesirable species.
Management includes maintaining natural disturbances, such as wildfires (controlled burns to achieve climax community) and grazing by wild animals.
Basic Concepts of Wildlife
1. Wild: Refers to animals not tamed, plants not cultivated in a garden, and humans who are uncivilized, uncontrolled, or violent.
2. Wildlife: Refers to all forms of wild animals and their environment or to all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other living organisms.
3. Wildlife Management: The active manipulation of wildlife populations and their habitats for the benefit of humans. It may also be defined as the process of keeping certain wildlife populations at desirable levels as determined by wildlife managers or the art of making land produce sustained annual crops of wildlife.
4. Wildlife Conservation: Involves strategies for the protection and rational use of wild animals and their habitats.
5. Wildlife Gardening: Aims at creating an environment attractive to various forms of wildlife such as birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and mammals. Organic gardeners use wild gardening as a biocontrol method and for promoting biodiversity in the broader environment.
6. Wildlife Garden: Comprises a variety of habitats deliberately created by gardeners or allowed to self-establish with minimal maintenance. Habitats include ponds for attracting frogs, newts, and toads; nesting boxes for birds and solitary bees; log piles for lizards and slow worms; and insect-attracting plants, such as wildflower meadows.
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Game Reserves and National Parks
1. Game Reserve: Defined as an area set aside for the preservation of wildlife. Forest reserves are created to ensure the perpetual exploitation of forest products while protecting finite forest resources from destruction. In Nigeria, Borgu Game Reserve is an example, providing a refuge for wild animals.
2. National Park: An area set aside for the protection and preservation of wild animals and their habitats, as well as plants, soils, geologic formations, and historical monuments.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), a national park is an area of relatively large size that contains natural ecosystems of special interest, protected from human exploitation and occupation, and open to visitors for educational, cultural, and recreational purposes.
Bushmeat and Wildlife Destruction
1. Bushmeat: Refers to the flesh of wild animals, which provides a large proportion of the animal protein consumed by rural populations and urban travelers.
2. Wildlife Destruction: Refers to the over-exploitation of wildlife, often not leading to species extinction but resulting from:
i. Overkill: Hunting at rates greater than the population’s reproductive capacity.
ii. Habitat Destruction and Fragmentation: Loss of habitat due to land use changes for agriculture, grazing, fire regime changes, forest clearing, and urban expansion.
iii. Impact of Introduced Species: Invasive species such as rats, cats, and rabbits threaten native species in various parts of the world.
iv. Chains of Extinction (Domino Effect): A secondary but destructive process in which the exploitation of one species leads to a series of chain reactions affecting the entire ecosystem.
Types of Wildlife Management
1. Manipulative Management: Directly influences wildlife populations by changing numbers or altering habitat, food supply, predator density, or disease prevalence. This method is appropriate when populations need to be harvested, increased, or reduced to desirable levels.
2. Custodial Management: Preventive or protective management aimed at minimizing external influences on wildlife populations and their habitats. This method is suitable for national parks or the conservation of threatened species.
Conservation Methods
1. In-Situ Conservation: The protection of endangered species in their natural habitat by safeguarding the habitat or protecting species from predators. This method maintains recovering populations in their natural environment and is commonly used for wildlife conservation in Nigeria, with National Parks, Game Reserves, and Forest Reserves serving as key examples.
2. Ex-Situ Conservation: Involves relocating endangered species from a threatened habitat to a safer location, often under human care. Although useful, ex-situ conservation is typically a last resort and cannot recreate the entire ecosystem, thus complementing in-situ efforts. Examples include zoological gardens and wildlife domestication in Nigeria, such as African giant rats and guinea fowl.
Fire as a Range Management Tool
Fire has historically been used as a tool in wildlife management to improve forest visibility, enhance grass production, reduce poaching risks, facilitate movement within parks, stimulate tree growth, and eliminate old grasses. Two types of burning in range management include:
1. Early Burning: Conducted between November and December to reduce perennial grasses and promote annual grass growth.
2. Late Burning: Performed between March and April to reduce tree, shrub, and forb numbers, encouraging the regrowth of perennial grasses.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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