The study aimed to understand local communities' perceptions of Nigeria National Parks and was conducted in ten per cent of the communities within 0-10km of park boundaries. Data were obtained from 10 per cent of the total household heads through questionnaire administration and were analysed with descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. A large percentage of the respondents were male; their median age was 42 years; 56.6 per cent had non-formal education; the median annual income was N7000 (US$ 43.75); and 86.9 per cent were farmers. The respondents had generally negative perceptions of park management over issues of strict protection, penalties, impact of existence of parks on their communities and exclusion from park management. Education (beta = 0.10, p<0.01), income (beta =0.12, p<0.01) and community distance from park boundary (beta = 0.31, p<0.01) were the best predictors of local communities' perceptions. There is an urgent need for a sustained policy on access to formal education in communities around Nigeria National Parks; for rural development policies that enhance income from farming and other non-farm alternative livelihood activities; for the sharing or recycling of revenue between the local communities and the parks; employment and infrastructural development; community involvement in park management and decision-making; and alternative dispute resolutions to ensure positive perceptions of the parks and other protected areas.
The study examined the socio-economic activities of rural communities in Old Oyo National Park and their perception towards conservation. Ten villages were randomly chosen from the five ranges based on their proximity to the park. A total of one hundred and fifty-two (152) structured questionnaire were administered to obtain information from the local community. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information on the livelihood practices and the impacts of the park on their livelihoods. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The major occupations of the respondents around the park were farming (25.7%), trading (22.4%), Artisan (19.1%), and Students (12.5%). The results showed that the majority of the respondents were male (69.1%) while 31.9% were female. Many of the respondents (39.5%) experience a loss of right/control over protected resources. The result further revealed that the respondents (28.9%) experienced the loss of traditional access to the park, with serious impact on the livelihood of the respondents. Chi-square analysis showed that there is an association between gender (χ2 = 1.857 p<0.05) and perceived access to natural resources. The result further showed a significant relationship between the respondents’ perceived access to the park-related resources and their marital status (χ2 = 10.184 p<0.001), indicating that marital status positively affected their perception of the park resources. It is, therefore, recommended that there should be training on alternative sources of livelihood and also sensitize the communities about the needs for conservation.
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