Perception of host communities on impact of protected areas on livelihoods: a case study of Okomu National Park adjoining communities, Nigeria

Abstract

The perception of the fringe communities of Okomu National Park (ONP) in Nigeria on the impact of the  Protected Area on their livelihood was investigated. Two groups of respondents were interviewed for this study while a two-staged sampling technique was employed in  selecting the respondents which were residents of adjoining communities of ONP and officers of the Park. The responses in the  questionnaires from the  individual respondents was processed and analyzed. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentage and mean scores were used to present the data collected. The positive response of the adjoining community residents on the awareness of ONP protection indicates clearly that most individuals (76.6%) in the  communities are aware that ONP is a strictly protected area while 23.4% claimed ignorance. Although, the respondents completely agreed that biodiversity would be preserved for future generation (at a mean score of 4.26), their responses showed that the community claimed there was little or no economic benefit derived from proximity to the National Park. While the mean values of the benefits derived from the park, in the opinion of the community respondents ranked from 2.10 - 2.91, the mean scores of ONP officers’ responses ranked from 3.0 - 4.31. These results indicate that the host communities and ONP officers held contrary views as to the  benefit communities derive from the park. Nevertheless, both groups of respondents agreed that the host communities participated in the management of the National Park.