| 1 Wildlife Conservation and Management: Hindrances and Sustainable Measures among Local Users in Igbo-Eze North Agricultural Zone, Enugu State, Nigeria, Dr. T. E. Ejiofor and Christian C. Ali The study examined conservation and management challenges facing wildlife among users in Igbo-Eze North Agricultural Zone of Enugu state, Nigeria. For the present study, data was collected from local users, and analyzed on the basis of opinion of hunters to understand environmental degradation facing wildlife, socio-economic problems militating against local users’ conservation and management practices, and sustainable measures that could be taken for wildlife conservation and management practices. Three research purposes guided the study. A structured questionnaire was developed from the literature reviewed. The findings identified bush-burning as a source of environmental degradation facing wildlife; religion and westernization as the socio-economic problem militating against local users’ conservation and management practices; and avoiding the use of poison and explosives during hunting as one of the practices that could sustain wildlife conservation and management among local users. The finding of this research is useful in understanding and addressing both the environmental challenges facing wildlife, and socio-economic problems hindering local users’ conservation and management practices; sustainable practices that could conserve and manage wildlife, now that wildlife as an agricultural resource of nutritional, economic, health and ecological importance to the users is faced with problem of extinction in the zone. In line with the findings recommendations such as the establishment of Wildlife Conservation and Management Boards (WCMB) in every agricultural zone in the country to conserve and manage this agricultural resource were devised. Key words: Degradation, hunters, extinction, endangered, forest. |