The Okomu National Park Service (NPS) and the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation have collaborated to coordinate efforts to conserve and secure the Okomu National Park, a biodiversity hub housing West Africa’s most valuable flora and fauna.
The 200-square-kilometre protected area situated in the Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo, Nigeria, boasts massive ecological significance and is essential to national tourism development.
Yet, the Okomu National Park and the rich ecosystem it houses are still threatened by poachers, illegal loggers, and encroachers. To nip these threats in the bud, the Okomu National Park Service (NPS) and the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation collaborated to restore the park’s integrity.
The over 3-year-old partnership extends beyond conservation and the park’s security to the empowerment of surrounding communities and the betterment of eco-tourism at large.
Reports from conservation groups culled by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that timber merchants exploit the forest for hardwood while poachers illegally tap the forest’s endangered species.
An exclusive report by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in 2020 revealed that criminal syndicates continue to plunder and deforest the park, felling ancient trees and smuggling timber to international markets. The park continues to be pillaged by the unchecked hunting of wildlife, pushing several species to the brink of extinction.
“The threats to Okomu were enormous; when I resumed duty in November 2022, illegal logging was a major challenge, and we had to find a sustainable solution”, Mr Lawrence Osaze, the Conservator of the Park, stated.
The NPC-ANI partnership is redefining conservation in Nigeria, reinforcing security via ranger recruitment and community-based alternative livelihoods.
The Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation has demonstrated effective eco-tourism and conservation success in Gashaka Gumti National Park in Taraba and Adamawa. The partnership between ANI Foundation and Okomu National Park began in 2022, and within two years, significant progress had been made in tackling the park’s longstanding problems, Osaze noted.
“ANI Foundation hired and trained 38 additional rangers, equipping them with modern surveillance tools and deploying them for regular anti-poaching patrols. This move drastically reduced illegal logging and wildlife hunting. We joined forces together, and the story today is entirely different. The park is relatively peaceful, and logging activities are at the barest minimum.”
“Before the partnership, rangers were often outnumbered and under-resourced, making it difficult to curb illegal activities. However, ANI’s intervention has transformed the situation. The foundation has provided financial and logistical support and introduced intelligence-driven security measures, ensuring that poachers and loggers face swift consequences.”
The ANI Foundation recognises the importance of winning over local communities. Many of the park’s challenges stemmed from economic hardship, as nearby villagers relied on the forest for survival. ANI introduced several empowerment initiatives to address this, encouraging residents to adopt sustainable livelihoods. The NPC-ANI partnership engaged local communities, launching initiatives like savings and loan programmes for women and youth, enabling them to establish small businesses, expand their farms, or invest in alternative sources of income.
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Similarly, the Iyase of Udo, Chief Patrick Igbinidu, a respected traditional ruler in the area, said that the impact of these interventions was evident.
“ANI Foundation has been a great partner since they arrived at Okomu National Park. They have not only improved security but have also empowered our people. Many of our youths have been employed as rangers, and women have been supported with interest-free loans,” he said.
Peter Abanyam, ANI Foundation’s Project Manager for Okomu, emphasised the park’s ecological importance. By boosting conservation efforts, Abanyam insisted that the foundation would attract domestic and international tourists, positioning Okomu as an eco-tourism destination.
The National Park Service and ANI Foundation acknowledge that long-term success will depend on vigilance against illegal activities while expanding alternative livelihood programs.
“Our goal is to make Africa’s nature and wildlife a source of pride. We want to show that conservation can be sustainable and beneficial to local communities through private sector investment,” Abanyam said.