Biodiversity Conservation and Commercial Bushmeat Hunting Challenges in African Parks and Protected Areas: A Critical Review and Synthesis of the Literature

Biodiversity conservation is seriously threatened in African parks and protected areas due to the explosion of commercial bushmeat hunting activities in buffer zone communities. Though commercial bushmeat hunting challenges are ostensibly underpinned by several factors (e.g. rural livelihoods challenges, wildlife management failure, unsustainable hunting practices, human population explosion, cultural factors, logging activities and road construction into hitherto intact forest reserves), the paper reveals that property rights struggles – hinging on colonial nationalization of the forest lands of local communities (now parks), constitutes the core of the problem. The existing literature attaches importance to livelihoods alternatives as mechanism of addressing the problem. The paper however argues that payment of compensation (sustainably) or annual land rents to buffer zone communities (as landlords), hinging on conservation agreements vis-a-vis colonially nationalized forest lands (now parks), will address the problem of commercial bushmeat hunting more effectively in the long term, and thus recommends this strategy strongly to policy makers. The paper also recommends biological species inventories and wildlife surveys as research trajectories that can inform and determine other appropriate conservation strategies in parks experiencing commercial bushmeat hunting challenges in Africa. Keywords: Biodiversity, parks, conservation, bushmeat and huntin

A GIS Analysis of Noise Islands in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria

This study examined noise islands in Calabar Metropolis, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) infrastructure. Physical measurement of noise levels was made using Barn and Korn (BK) Precision 732 Digital Sound Level Meters. The locations were geo-referenced using a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Global Positioning System. Data were manipulated using ESRI ArcGis Software version 9.5, which generated composite noise maps. The point data in the geospatial database were subjected to interpolation, deploying Inverse Distance Weighing (IDW) algorithm for the different temporal periods of morning, afternoon and evening. The results revealed that noise level in the industrial, commercial as well as the transportation land use elements have been found to increase from the morning period, hits the peak in the afternoon and begins to wane in the evening period. Unlike the residential zones, which showed low, as well as moderately high noise level on certain days of the week due to some incompatible activities located there. It was therefore recommended that those activities that generate high noise in the industrial and commercial zones should be discouraged from springing up in the residential landuses in order to maintain their tranquil status. Besides, the source, path, and receiver techniques of noise attenuation have also been recommended as a general antidote to noise menace in the metropolis. Keywords: Noise Level, Noise Maps, Noise Islands, Spatial Distribution, Temporal Distribution, GIS, Inverse Distance Weighin

The abortion debate: a contribution from Ibuanyidanda perspective

ABSTRACT The morality of abortion has been the subject of debate among scholars for many years. The anti-abortionists query the rationale behind the destruction of one individual (the foetus) for the survival of another individual (the mother). The pro-abortionists on the other hand point to the benefit of abortion to the mother and the society at large as a veritable reason for the support of abortion. The concern of this research, is that the pro-abortionists seem to be winning the debate, as more and more countries are legalizing abortion and the countries where abortion is still illegal like Nigeria, the law is being defied daily and people are committing it en masse. This work aims at resolving and possibly reversing this trend by attempting to proffer sufficient reasons why abortion should be discouraged. This, it is hoped, will counter the pro-abortionist view which has provided the impetus for many, to undergo abortion. Ibuanyidanda philosophy provides us with a suitable framework for the articulation of a different way to conceive human relationship and abortion in particular. The foetus is a missing link of reality that must be sustained in existence to keep in balance the complementary horizon inherent in the world. Ibuanyidanda conceives all missing links as constituting a complementary horizon which must be sustained to avoid the boomerang effect. It is based on this that we developed a moral argument that counters the anti-abortionist views. Abortion is wrong because the foetus is part of the complementary horizon that binds all reality into a unified whole. Abortion puts a knife to this complementary web. This work made use of philosophical methods like speculations, evaluation, criticism and argumentation in the assessment of the problem of abortion

Impact of Forest Encroachment on Rural Livelihood in Akamkpa Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria

Protected area system has been used as one of the effective means of sustaining forest ecosystems and other natural landscapes. While sustaining the environment, the human well-being was not to be compromised. However, the protected area system has faced daunted challenges such as encroachment by support zone communities. This study was therefore aimed at assessing the various forms of encroachment on the forest resources of Cross River National Park and its impacts on rural livelihood. Simple random technique was used in selecting 5 communities for the study which constitute 20% of the support zone communities for the study. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools and questionnaire survey were used in data collection. The result indicates that the collector of NTFPs constitute the highest number of Encroachers depicted by 32.0% response, farming was the second constituting 19.5% response. Further analysis indicates the dwindling of livelihood opportunity indicated by 45.5% response, while the major reason given for the encroachment is lack of provision of alternative livelihood. The hypothesis tested using spearman’s ranked correlation analysis shows a positive and a significant relationship (rho=82.9%). The study therefore, recommended for the provision of alternative livelihood to the communities that depend on forest for their livelihood. KEYWORD: Protected area, Encroachment, forest, resources, livelihood, support communitie

Maternal knowledge of effective breastfeeding and its benefits, as potential determinant of attitudes to infant feeding: A survey in Calabar, Nigeria

Appropriate breastfeeding is a cost-effective child survival strategy. This study assessed relationship between knowledge of breastfeeding and attitude towards infant feeding among pregnant women in Calabar, Nigeria. By convenience sampling, consenting antenatal clinic attendees were recruited from secondary health centers in Calabar. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess knowledge of different aspects of breastfeeding, while the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) was used to assess attitude towards infant feeding. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0, with p-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Two hundred and fifty (250) pregnant women were surveyed with mean age of 29.7 ± 6.1 years. One hundred and eight respondents (43.2%) had unsatisfactory levels of knowledge. Common areas of misconception were oral thrush effect of breastfeeding (47.2%), frequency of breast milk expression (47.6%), and effects of inverted nipples (45.6%). Most respondents (92.0%) had neutral attitude to infant feeding, and there was no significant relationship between overall knowledge of breastfeeding and infant feeding attitude (p>0.05). Of all the knowledge areas assessed, only benefits to mothers (r=0.11, p=0.08) and effective breastfeeding (r=0.17, p=0.01), had knowledge scores that correlated positively with infant feeding attitude scores. These findings contribute to existing literature required for improvement in policies and strategies, for breastfeeding education and child survival, especially in resource-poor settings. There is need for further research towards improving priority content of maternal health education during the time-constrained ANC visits. Keywords: Knowledge, breastfeeding, infant feeding attitude, pregnant women, Calabar, Nigeria   L'allaitement maternel approprié est une stratégie rentable de survie de l'enfant. Cette étude a évalué la relation entre la connaissance de l'allaitement maternel et l'attitude envers l'alimentation du nourrisson chez les femmes enceintes à Calabar, au Nigéria. Par échantillonnage de convenance, les participants consentants des cliniques prénatales ont été recrutés dans les centres de santé secondaires de Calabar. Un questionnaire pré-testé a été utilisé pour évaluer les connaissances sur les différents aspects de l'allaitement maternel, tandis que l'Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) a été utilisé pour évaluer l'attitude envers l'alimentation du nourrisson. Les données ont été analysées à l'aide de la version 21.0 de SPSS, avec une valeur p inférieure à 0,05 considérée comme statistiquement significative. Deux cent cinquante (250) femmes enceintes ont été interrogées avec un âge moyen de 29,7 ± 6,1 ans. Cent huit répondants (43,2%) avaient des niveaux de connaissances insatisfaisants. Les points communs d'idées fausses étaient l'effet du muguet buccal de l'allaitement (47,2%), la fréquence d'expression du lait maternel (47,6%) et les effets des mamelons inversés (45,6%). La plupart des répondants (92,0%) avaient une attitude neutre à l'égard de l'alimentation du nourrisson, et il n'y avait pas de relation significative entre la connaissance globale de l'allaitement et l'attitude en matière d'alimentation du nourrisson (p> 0,05). Parmi tous les domaines de connaissances évalués, seuls les avantages pour les mères (r = 0,11, p = 0,08) et l'allaitement maternel efficace (r = 0,17, p = 0,01) présentaient des scores de connaissance qui étaient en corrélation positive avec les scores d'attitude en matière d'alimentation du nourrisson. Ces résultats contribuent à la littérature existante nécessaire pour améliorer les politiques et stratégies, pour l'éducation à l'allaitement maternel et la survie de l'enfant, en particulier dans les milieux pauvres en ressources. Des recherches supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour améliorer le contenu prioritaire de l'éducation à la santé maternelle pendant les visites prénatales limitées dans le temps. Mots-clés: Connaissances, allaitement, attitude en matière d'alimentation du nourrisson, femmes enceintes, Calabar, Nigéri

Towards Conserving Nigeria’s Environment through Environmental Management Education

Environmental conservation involves the wise use of resources and their preservation from reckless exploitation and wanton destruction. In contemporary Nigeria however, the ideals of conservation have failed to be properly integrated into the National development agenda. Widespread ignorance and low levels environmental awareness have been identified as prominent factors responsible for this despicable state of affairs. Since education remains the cure for ignorance, this paper therefore, aims at emphasizing the urgent imperative for the incorporation of environmental management education as a major component of an integrative framework for the conservation of Nigeria’s environment. The paper contends that effective environmental conservation may never be attained unless and until requisite skills are developed and sufficient awareness created nationally and locally through a robust programme of environmental management education. The paper recommends the adoption of environmental management education as an important component of our effort to ensure effective conservation and national development. Specifically, environmental management education should be introduced as a subject in the primary and secondary schools, while universities and other tertiary institutions should offer it as a general course and make efforts to establish Environmental Management Department in the Faculty of Environmental Studies as approved by the National Universities Commission. Key words: Environmental Management, Education, Conservation, Resources, Awareness

Impact of Land-Use Change from 2000-2020 on Environmental Resources in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Land cover data documents how much of a region is covered by forests, wetlands, impervious surfaces, agriculture, and other land and water types. Water types include wetlands or open water. Land-use shows how people use the landscape – whether for development, conservation, or mixed uses hence, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the impact of land-use change from 2000 – 2020 on environmental resources in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A sample frame of two broad epochs (spanning from 2000 – 2020) was used for the study. This was to allow detailed image capturing and interpretation of land-use land cover (LULC) change of the study area. The result of the analysis shows that water bodies occupies 291.31km2 (3.11%) of the total land cover of the area (9372.72km2), riparian vegetation 1245.2km2 (13.29%), mangrove swamp – 2959.86km2 (31.57%), fresh water – 3976.86km2 (42.43%) and built up area 899.95km2 (9.60%). The study recommends for the implementation of existing environmental laws in order to take care of current trend of environmental resources decline, there should be public enlightenment and environmental education in order to alert the general public on the danger of human activities on the environment

Morphometric Characteristics of the Lower Orashi River, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

The study examined the spatial analysis of the morphometric characteristics of the Lower Orashi River, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. The river course was segmented into 30 equal distances of 4.8m from each other and at each point, the morphometric parameters like width, depth, and flow velocity. The discharge was measured from these parameters. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis while results are presented using tables and graphs. Results showed that width of the river ranged from 77.90m to 2788.00m with the mean width of 318.83m. The depth ranged from 2.10 to 7.60m with the mean depth recording 4.14m as it was higher at the upper section of the river while it becomes lower as it is entering the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, width was significantly correlated with the depth (r= -0.556, p<0.05), cross sectional area (r= 0.989, p<0.05) and discharge (r= 0.987, p<0.05).  Also, elevation was significantly correlated with cross sectional area (r= -0.506, p<0.05) and discharge (r = -0.511, p<0.05). More importantly, the cross sectional area was correlated with discharge (r=0.995, p<0.05). The study concluded that there is significant variation existing in the morphometric parameters namely width, elevation, cross sectional area and discharge among the segments along Orashi River. The study therefore recommended that the water course should be reduced of human activities to reduce the rate of soil loss or discharge and to boost the river floor with adequate morphological property

Using Human Disease Outbreaks as a Guide to Multilevel Ecosystem Interventions

Human health often depends on environmental variables and is generally subject to widespread and comprehensive surveillance. Compared with other available measures of ecosystem health, human disease incidence may be one of the most useful and practical bioindicators for the often elusive gauge of ecologic well-being. We argue that many subtle ecosystem disruptions are often identified only as a result of detailed epidemiologic investigations after an anomalous increase in human disease incidence detected by routine surveillance mechanisms. Incidence rates for vector-mediated diseases (e.g., arboviral illnesses) and direct zoonoses (e.g., hantaviruses) are particularly appropriate as bioindicators to identify underlying ecosystem disturbances. Outbreak data not only have the potential to act as a pivotal warning system for ecosystem disruption, but may also be used to identify interventions for the preservation of ecologic health. With this approach, appropriate ecologically based strategies for remediation can be introduced at an earlier stage than would be possible based solely on environmental monitoring, thereby reducing the level of “ecosystem distress” as well as resultant disease burden in humans. This concept is discussed using local, regional, and global examples, thereby introducing the concept of multilevel ecosystem interventions

First delivery of a COVID-19 positive patient in Cameroon

Since its appearance in China in December 2019, COVID-19 which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a real global health problem. Pregnant women are not immune to this novel infection, which makes it difficult for proper management of pregnancy and childbirth. Authors present here the first case of childbirth in Cameroon of a 19-year-old adolescent tested positive for COVID-19