Nigeria’s conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africa

Nigeria is experiencing a major conflict between nomadic herdsmen and indigenous farmers. In 2016, the conflict led to the death of 2,500 people, displaced 62,000 others and led to loss of US$13.7 billion in revenue. In January 2018 alone, the conflict claimed the lives of 168 people

Integrating Ecosystem Services Approach in Achieving Development Goals: The Role of the Geographer

The ecosystem services approach is increasingly suggested as a way to achieve the sustainable use of ecosystem products and services. This concept was put firmly on policy agenda by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report of 2003, even though its history dates back to the 1970s. This has drawn great attention to the study of ecosystem services. Studies in this field has been dominated by those interested in biophysical environment, exploring how natural sciences can protect and enhance goods and services necessary for human wellbeing. Others have focused on economics, measuring and communicating the value of ecosystem services and goods to spur government and other decision makers to take ecological gains and losses into account in decision making process. While this concept is widely adopted in countries such as United Kingdom, Netherlands and Australia, there is little or no attention to this concept and its integration into national and regional developmental objectives in Africa. In societies where the concept has been tested and adopted, geographers have been at the forefront of these developments. This begs the question what role does African geographer play in enhancing the ecosystem service approach in improving the lot of Africans. This paper explores the link between ecosystem services and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), identify potential areas of contribution of African geographers in assessing the relevance and adoptability of the ecosystem service concept in Africa especially in areas such as in mapping, visualization, the manipulation of data via geospatial information systems, generating information for capturing and measuring goods provided by natural systems, enhancing economic decision-making through the widespread promotion of market based instruments for conservation such as markets for ecosystem services and so-called payments for ecosystem services schemes. It is suggested that to achieve efficient outcomes, MDGs and other development goals need to be framed in the context of an ecosystems approach. Keywords: Africa, Geography, Ecosystem service approach, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs

Perceptions, knowledge, adaptation and socio-economic cost of climate change in Northern Nigeria

The objective of this paper is to assess the perceptions and determine the ability of farmers in rural Northern Nigeria to explain climate change, and to ascertain the socio-economic cost of climate change to them. The study also sought to understand how farmers have adapted to climate change and assess barriers to adaptation. The study is based on a survey of farmers in two rural communities in Northern Nigeria. The results reveal that the people generally associate climate change with changes in temperature, precipitation and vegetation. A significant number of farmers believe that temperature is increasing and that precipitation is declining. Those with the greatest experience of farming were more likely to notice climate change and have detailed explanation for its occurrence. The results also showed that there were important differences in the propensity of farmers of different age groups to adapt and there may be institutional impediments to adaptation. Although experienced farmers were more likely to perceive climate change, it is the younger farmers who were more likely to respond by making at least one adaptation, while the older ones often fell on safety nets of their social networks for survival. Although, large numbers of farmers perceive no barriers to adaptation, those that do perceive them tend to cite their age, lack of credit facilities, high level of illiteracy, high incidences of theft, soil erosion, large family sizes, lack of farm inputs and poor access to markets for their produce. About a fifth of the respondent although perceive climate change but are unable/fail to respond. This category may require particular incentives or assistance to do what is ultimately in their own best interests. While it is important to encourage improved farmer education, this alone is not adequate to enhance farmers’ adaptation to climate change. There is room for better adaptation if government intensify activities of extension workers and encourage planting of different varieties of the same crop which the farmers are used to cultivating, enhance weather forecasting potentials and make such information available to farmers to enable them adapt to changing planting dates. There is also need to integrate adaptation strategies to fit the peculiarities of the culture and customs of the societies concerned

Promoting acts of kindness on campus: Views of Chinese international students in the UK

There is increasing research on the challenges experienced by Chinese international students during their studies in the UK such as language barriers, social interactions, academic achievement, and psychological adjustment. This study proposes to understand these challenges through a kindness approach. It explores how sixty-three Chinese Master’s students from a British university interpreted the challenging and supportive features of their learning environment through the notion of (un)kindness. Drawing on 63 semi-structured interviews, the study reveals a range of ways these students experienced academic staff and student interactions as “unkind,” as well as their experiences of teaching materials, coursework feedback, and administrative support. It identifies three key factors that students perceive impede acts of kindness on campus. The findings offer important insight into the practice and the value of using a kindness approach to improve Chinese international students’ academic and social experiences in the UK

Status and outlook for climate resilient aquaculture in Kenya: Stakeholders perspectives

The impact of climate change on the aquaculture sector, which both supports livelihoods and is a source of nutrition in Kenya, is of concern. This study seeks to assess how stakeholders understand the impact of climate change on the aquaculture sector in Kenya, with a view to highlighting the steps needed towards enhancing the adaptation of aquaculture infrastructure to climate change. The study adopts a complementary mix of data collection methods (workshops, interviews, questionnaires, and field visits) implemented in four case study sites (Kakamega, Kajiado, Nairobi, and Kiambu). The findings of this study indicate that the most important climate hazard impacting aquaculture in Kenya is drought. It is estimated that about 40% of the potential growth of the subsector is lost due to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change. However, only a handful of farmers have opted for adaptation measures mainly because they are considered expensive. Facilitating the adequate adaptation of aquaculture practice to climate change will require a focus on improving the fish production infrastructure, improved aquaculture feeds, and policy changes. Overall, this study shows that for the sector in Kenya to overcome the impacts of climate hazards and be resilient to future climate change, there is also a need to prioritise economic incentives and capacity building. The findings are timely and should serve as crucial stimulus for critical stakeholders towards developing infrastructures in tackling the present climate change challenges confronting the aquaculture sector in Kenya

Geo-spatial analysis of oil spill distribution and susceptibility in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

Oil spill occurrence during exploration, production and distribution can cause deleterious impact on the environment. Contamination of local streams/rivers, farmlands, forest resources and biodiversity in oil producing areas presents strong significant possibility of significant harm to human health. Geo-information technologies present new opportunities for assessing stress environment and ways of determining exposure susceptibility in such areas. The study assesses thegeographical distribution of oil-spills cluster and pattern using three geospatial techniques with ground data at 443 oil-spill incident sites from 1985-2008. The places with high (high-volume/large impact/close proximity to communities) and low incident (low-volume/less impact/fardistance) are related to the quantity of oil-spills identified within those communities considered susceptible to spill impact and possible exposure. While the average nearest neighborhood analysis showed a probability that oil-spill distribution in the area is clustered (ratio < 1 with index value 0.19), the Getis-Ord General G test indicated that the oil-spill with high quantities (volume) discharge are significantly clustered within every 400 m. The Moran’s I index indicted that there i

PROFILE: extinction rebellion in the Gambia

he emergence of Extinction Rebellion (XR) in 2018 as a global movement led to the establishment of chapters all around the world. Much existing work has focused on cases located in the UK, Western Europe and the Anglosphere. This profile presents a case study of the formation of XR in The Gambia as an example of further diffusion of the movement. We examine how partial democratisation opened up space for contention, which in turn led to the adoption of the XR brand in the country. In turn, becoming a chapter of XR has opened up new opportunities for the transnationalisation of Gambian environmental activism. The profile concludes by reflecting on the potential future of the group

Application of nano zinc oxide (nZnO) for the removal of triphenyltin chloride (TPT) from dockyard wastewater

The use of triphenyltin chloride (TPT), a persistent organic pollutant, as a biocide has led to serious contamination of the marine environment. The potential of nano zinc oxide (nZnO) for the removal of TPT from contaminated dockyard wastewater was investigated. The adsorption of TPT onto nZnO has been found to depend on the adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, stirring speed, and temperature. Equilibrium data fitted well with the Freundlich model and the experiments showed that 97.0% TPT removal was achieved by treating 0.643 mg·l-1 TPT contaminated dockyard wastewater with 0.5 g nZnO at optimal conditions. The kinetic data for the adsorption process obeyed a pseudo second-order kinetic model, suggesting that the adsorption process is chemisorption. The nZnO investigated in this study showed good potential for the removal of TPT from contaminated dockyard wastewater systems