The Nigerian Government has called for stronger legislation and tougher sanctions against wildlife crimes to protect the country’s biodiversity and prevent the continued decline of endangered species.
The Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Lawal, made the call at the 8th Annual Conference of the Wildlife Society of Nigeria (WISON) in Abuja.
Lawal expressed concern over the rapid disappearance of wildlife species that were once common in the country, attributing the decline partly to illegal hunting, bushmeat consumption and indiscriminate killing of animals.
He stressed the need for effective laws and sufficiently deterrent sanctions to curb wildlife offences.
“We lack proper sanctions in Nigeria. Whoever does anything against wildlife should be sanctioned,” the Minister said.
Lawal noted that offenders often receive relatively minor penalties and are able to repeat their actions, stressing that sanctions should be particularly stringent where endangered species were involved.
He also called for the introduction of wildlife and environmental crime courses at the undergraduate level in Nigerian universities, particularly in faculties of law and other relevant disciplines.
According to him, greater exposure to wildlife and environmental law at the undergraduate level would prepare legal practitioners and other professionals to address emerging environmental challenges more effectively.
“We should try to introduce wildlife crimes at the undergraduate level in universities, in faculties of law and other faculties, to recognise that we need to protect these animals,” he said.
Lawal described wildlife as an important part of Nigeria’s natural heritage and urged WISON to expand its conservation efforts to include local communities, forest-dependent populations, government agencies and other stakeholders.
He also identified the media as an important partner in raising public awareness about wildlife conservation.
“You need to go a little lower to the level where you bring in even the local people,” he said.
The Minister assured WISON of the ministry’s willingness to provide support within available resources and called for closer collaboration between the ministry and the society.
“I am happy that you are doing what you are doing. Whatever small support that you require, we will give you,” he said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Conservator-General of the National Park Service, Dr Ibrahim Goni, described the conference theme, “Human-Wildlife Interactions and Sustainable Protected Area Management,” as timely and fundamental to the future of conservation in Nigeria.
Goni said national parks and other protected areas were important centres of biodiversity conservation but existed within wider landscapes shared with communities whose livelihoods often depended on natural resources.
He said the success of protected-area management should therefore be measured not only by the protection of wildlife and habitats but also by the quality of relationships between conservation authorities and surrounding communities.
According to him, human-wildlife conflict was not merely a wildlife issue but also a conservation, livelihood, development and security concern requiring a holistic response.
Goni called for improved understanding of the causes of human-wildlife conflict, mapping of conflict hotspots, stronger early-warning systems, effective mitigation and compensation mechanisms, as well as alternative livelihood opportunities for affected communities.
He stressed that communities should be regarded as strategic partners in conservation rather than simply as populations living around protected areas.
Goni also highlighted the growing role of science and technology in modern conservation, citing Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, drones, camera traps, artificial intelligence and smart monitoring systems as tools that could strengthen research, surveillance and decision-making.
He expressed confidence that stronger partnerships, scientific innovation and approaches that recognised legitimate community needs could improve protected-area management while delivering practical benefits to people living alongside wildlife and natural resources.
The National President of WISON, Professor Omotola Jayeola, also called for stronger collaboration among wildlife professionals, government agencies, civil society organisations and local communities to address challenges facing wildlife conservation and protected-area management.
Jayeola said the society, formally established in 2017 at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, had continued to provide a platform for professionals and practitioners to advance wildlife conservation and contribute to policies affecting Nigeria’s natural heritage.
He cited WISON’s intervention following the movement of elephants into the Shaki area of Oyo State, saying “the society mobilised a team to assess the situation, document its impact on local communities and engage relevant government agencies on the protection and rescue of the animals.”
Jayeola identified the difficulty of bringing professionals together under one voice and gaining greater access to the policy-making environment as some of the challenges facing the society.
He urged the government and conservation advocates to intensify grassroots awareness, stressing that communities needed to understand the economic, environmental and climate benefits of conserving wildlife rather than viewing natural resources solely as sources of food and livelihood.
The 8th Annual Conference was hosted by the National Park Service in collaboration with WISON, with support from 7Up Bottling Company of Nigeria.
Earlier, officials of the National Park Service and WISON paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Environment, where they briefed him on the achievements of the society ahead of the conference.
