Governance, Biodiversity and Community-Based Conservation Initiatives in Nigeria’s Niger River Delta

The global biodiversity crisis, caused by habitat loss, climate change, and unsustainable resource use, has led to a push for larger and more diverse protected areas along with ambitious conservation targets. One key initiative is the "30 x 30", which aims to preserve 30 percent of global land and water by 2030. Community-managed conservation areas have become vital, especially where state-led efforts have failed or caused social issues. By fostering community-based conservation actions, there is potential to harness local knowledge and stewardship. Nevertheless, the long-term sustainability of these initiatives remains uncertain, given the complex interplay of socio-economic, political, and ecological challenges.

In Natural Resource Management, it is believed that local communities inherently possess both the expertise and motivation necessary for effective stewardship. This viewpoint is grounded in the belief that traditional ecological knowledge supports conservation and sustainability. Nonetheless, such an assumption may fail to consider the extent to which changing socio-economic and political dynamics shape local choices and actions, potentially undermining the effectiveness of community-based conservation efforts. The Niger River Delta, as one of the world’s largest tropical deltaic systems, contains Africa’s most extensive mangrove forest in addition to vast freshwater swamps. These ecosystems provide vital services—including carbon sequestration, fisheries, sediment retention, and water purification—to millions of people. It harbors over 84 mangrove-associated plant species and at least 500 terrestrial vertebrate species, including endemic primate such as the Niger Delta red colobus monkey. Recent studies utilizing remote sensing have identified that the Delta supports upwards of 1,200 fish species and a range of macro-invertebrate assemblages crucial to local fisheries, highlighting the region’s significant conservation importance. Within this large and ecologically significant area, the interplay of environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and socio-economic issues are evident. Recognizing these distinctive contextual factors is crucial for ensuring effective and sustainable conservation interventions.

Drawing on ongoing conservation initiatives within four community-managed conservation areas at varying phases of project implementation in the Niger Delta, this project pursues three principal objectives.

Firstly, it aims to identify critical gaps in existing knowledge about mammal occurrence and distribution in central Niger Delta, and to assess how these knowledge deficits affect conservation efforts, especially given the region’s underrepresentation in global conservation discourse. Data collected from over 200 camera-trap locations at both community-managed and unmanaged sites, will be analyzed to derive relative abundance indices, assess spatial variations, and determine true occurrence rates.
Secondly, it also examines how gender disparities in local governance affect biodiversity conservation outcomes. Qualitative data, obtained through purposive sampling of local communities participating in conservation projects, will be synthesized to analyze the extent of women’s involvement in decision-making processes and its implications.
Finally, the project will assess the effects of outdated and poorly developed state policies on conservation efforts, even at the community level. A systematic review of national and state biodiversity policies will be conducted to identify gaps and limitations in current policy frameworks; this analysis seeks to inform more adaptive and equitable conservation strategies for one of the world’s most ecologically and socio-politically dynamic landscapes.

Rachel Ikemeh

Matthias Waltert