Saving the last remaining populations of the highly threatened Nigerian montane herpetofauna through conservation education and community awareness programmes

17 May 2024 Obudu, Cross River State, Nigeria, Africa Amphibians | Reptiles

Lotanna Micah Nneji


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23 Nov 2022

Enhancing Studies and Sustainable Conservation Actions for Amphibians and Reptiles in Highly Biodiverse and Threatened Nigerian Montane Regions

The Nigerian highlands are an important part of the African Guineo-Congolian biodiversity hotspot, with high species richness and globally threatened species. Among these highlands, our study area – Obudu Plateau (OP) in Southeastern Nigeria stands out as one of the most biodiverse African Guineo-Congolian biodiversity hotspots, yet highly threatened. Our previous RSG project in OP recorded high amphibian and reptile (herein referred to as herpetofauna) species richness that comprise more than half of the entire Nigerian amphibians. Despite this, OP remains unprotected, with more than half of its habitats now degraded by human activities.

Our previous Rufford-sponsored projects showed that remnant forest habitats of OP, essential for herpetofaunal survival, are currently undergoing rapid degradation. Also, we observed poor biodiversity literacy among local students which affects their conservation willingness. In addition, our previous RSG projects indicate that locals and other relevant stakeholders in OP are eager to participate in conservation projects. Yet, there are no community-based herpetofaunal conservation programmes to foster conservation.

Conservation outreach program in a local school in Nigeria. ©Chidiebere S. Okoli.

Conservation outreach program in a local school in Nigeria. ©Chidiebere S. Okoli.

Thus, in this project, we aim to: 1. Improve biodiversity literacy among local students by engaging in an outdoor science education program to educate and inspire young local students within communities in OP. 2. Foster biodiversity literacy by working with the 7-10 local teachers in two local schools to develop biodiversity learning modules that will be used in educating local students. 3. Engage in community-based outreach programs in schools and villages for improved conservation awareness. 4. Improve local participation in herpetofauna conservation in OP by engaging in stakeholders’ meetings to improve herpetofauna conservation in our focal study area.

Egg frog. ©Lotanna Micah Nneji.

Egg frog. ©Lotanna Micah Nneji.

Obudu Plateau, Nigeria. ©Lotanna Micah Nneji.

Obudu Plateau, Nigeria. ©Lotanna Micah Nneji.

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