Browsing by Author "Obioha, E. E."

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Bush Meat Harvesting and Human Subsistence Nexus in the Oban Hill Communities of Nigeria
(2012) Obioha, E. E.; Isiugo, P. N.; Jimoh, S. O.; Ikyaagba, E.; .Ngoufo, R.; Serge, B. K.; Waltert, M.
Wildlife is an important socio-cultural and economic resource in West and Central Africa. The declining wildlife population in the recent time is as a result of a combination of factors, namely, increased access and demand for wildlife resources by rural and urban dwellers, population growth, improved hunting technology and lack of protein alternatives in many households.. This paper investigates the contribution of bush meat extraction to household’s livelihood (income, health, nutrition, etc); the role of beliefs and taboos in wildlife conservation and the attitude of community members towards wildlife hunting and conservation in Oban Hills, Nigeria. Data for the study were generated through a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods using primary and secondary sources. It was revealed that majority of the people of Oban Hills are farmers although some also engaged in quarry business, civil service, trading, lumbering and hunting. However, there has been a decline in income generated from hunting and dependence on bush meat as protein source due to restrictions on hunting in and around forests in the protected area. It was also observed that beliefs and taboos in form of totems played a major role in wildlife conservation in the past; therefore involving existing cultural institutions in conservation efforts will facilitate sustainable wildlife exploitation in Oban Hills. However, the involvement of the cultural institution in the conservation agenda and the integration of these values into the overall conservation strategy will be achieved through a formal process of recognition and consultation by the responsible government agencies
The Role of Traditional Laws and Taboos in Wildlife Conservation in the Oban Hill Sector of Cross River National Park (CRNP), Nigeria
(2012) Jimoh, S. O.; Ikyaagba, E. T.; Alarape, A. A.; Obioha, E. E.; Adeyemi, A. A.
Efforts to integrate rural people into biodiversity conservation through community-based conservation programs is an old tradition. These efforts were largely based on economic incentives, with little or no attention given to the role of culture and traditions in building support for conservation. Although these strategies are useful in promoting conservation and local empowerment, they are still fragile. Scholars suggest that incorporation of traditional values which reflect locally important cultural practices of the people into the management of conservation areas in Africa will help in their successful conservation. There is a strong need to assess cultural practices; traditional laws and taboos of the people in protected areas, and how they have assisted conservation in the past. To understand how such practices could be strengthened and incorporated into natural resources management and conservation strategies, there is a need to have a general overview of existing practices. The study analyzes the ways in which cultural practices and value systems of the people of Oban Sector of Cross River National Park Nigeria, have aided conservation in the past and how such practices can be encouraged, strengthened and replicated for sustainable natural resources management in the study area and possibly proposed for adoption elsewhere. Ten cultural institutions and seven laws and taboos which regulate the use of resources were recorded in the area. These laws and taboos were respected by all indigenes. Eleven animal species were found to be forbidden by the people. Some of the tabooed animals were for spiritual reasons while some were for medicinal purposes. Every community had sacred forests, called Mgbe forest (Eten Mgbe) The social organizations in the area ensured that these taboos are obeyed. Presence of other tribes, new religions/westernization, use of modern hunting equipments and poverty pose a threat to the effectiveness of these taboos as a conservation tool. Adaptation of some aspects of these taboos may be valuable for wildlife conservation, particularly in protected areas
Social norms and cultural services – community belief system and use of wildlife products in the Northern periphery of the Korup National Park, South-West Cameroon
(De Gruyter Open, 2014) Ngoufo, R.; Yongyeh, N. K.; Obioha, E. E.; Bobo, K. S.; Jimoh, S. O.; Waltert, M.
In many traditional societies, beliefs and taboos influence human behaviour towards the natural environment. Such beliefs and taboos are informal institutions where norms rather than official laws determine land use and nature protection in general and wildlife in particular. The present study on beliefs and taboos of the people of the northern periphery of the Korup. National Park is an attempt to reveal how norms influence their relation to the environment. A total of 195 households were sampled through a household survey conducted in four villages. The results revealed that before the application of “modern” approaches for wildlife protection and management, the people relied on norms to establish a relationship with wildlife and nature. The enactment of the 1994 legislation on forest, wildlife and fisheries resulted in stiff resistance as it contradicts traditional norms. It was found that 57.4 % of the respondents still perceive wildlife as a resource that can never get extinct. Traditional norms had a differentiated impact especially on game protection. The study recommends that a wildlife benefiting code of beliefs and taboos is developed to provide a basis for establishing a synergy between park management laws and traditional belief/taboo systems that drive the management of wildlife