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Ecological influence of habitat structure on the diversity of fauna in Rivers State, Nigeria

100%

Abere S. A.

World News of Natural Sciences

2018

vol. 16

75-85

Natural habitats are being degraded on a daily basis due to the increase in population and the need to put them to alternative use. This has cause a downturn in biodiversity. The habitat structure, however, plays a key role in species distribution and diversity, hence, the need for its protection. Animal species diversity has been reported to be dependent on the structure of the habitat. However, information on wildlife species in relation to habitat structure within Bonny Island forest has not been adequately documented. Therefore, wildlife diversity in Bonny Island was assessed. Herein, flora and fauna surveys were carried out on fixed transect lines using point centre quarter and line transect methods, respectively, in both the dry and wet seasons. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Abundance of trees, shrubs, grasses and aquatic plant species in BSS (24, 13, 10 and 8, respectively) were higher than in BIS (8, 10, 10 and 10). Anthropogenic activities: hunting, fishing and other agricultural practices exerted higher pressure of 20.0%, 60.0% and 10.0%, respectively on wildlife resources during the dry rather than the wet seasons (17.5%, 43.8% and 38.70%, respectively). Higher density index of avian, amphibian, reptiles and mammals were recorded in BSS (3.2, 3.3, 4.4 and 2.1, respectively) compared to BIS (0.2, 0.7, 0.5 and 0.6). Moreover, there were more catch values in the dry than in the wet seasons (t=0.935). In addition, a higher diversity index (t=2.18) was recorded in BSS than in BIS. Generally, more species diversity was observed in the BSS block than the BIS and this is attributed to the habitat structure which is more structurally complex and less fragmented.

Alternative livelihood programs in Africa: A substitute or an added portfolio?

63%

Abere S. A., Lameed G. A.

World News of Natural Sciences

2018

vol. 16

67-74

Alternative livelihoods are often promoted by conservation organisations or governments to reduce rural people’s reliance on or use of natural resources, or to compensate them for loss of access. The effectiveness of such interventions has, however, been limited over the years. It is no news that the greatest challenges facing humankind are the alleviation of poverty and the conservation of biological diversity. Yet, rather than being perceived as separate issues, these two challenges are often closely linked. In order to find solutions to these challenges, both Non-Governmental and Governmental Organizations have put in place diverse alternative projects. Unfortunately, such endeavours have met with little or no successful outcome. This, therefore, leads to the question of whether an alternative livelihood program is really a substitute or an added portfolio to the existing activities of rural people. This paper critically examines alternative livelihood projects on the basis that these are either the former or the latter. Data was obtained through the use of various search engines and also from direct observation. The study discovered that, while different alternative livelihood projects have been employed with various objectives across Africa, most of the reviewed projects have had little or no success owing to management issues within the NGOs or GOs, and, most especially, due to the actual condition of local people. Thus, ‘alternative livelihoods’ tend to be an added portfolio of other activities rather than a substitute for current reality.

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2 World News of Natural Sciences

2 2018

2 Abere S. A.

1 Lameed G. A.

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Ecological influence of habitat structure on the diversity of fauna in Rivers State, Nigeria

Alternative livelihood programs in Africa: A substitute or an added portfolio?