Anayo Ezugwu 
Deforestation is one of the challenges facing tropical forests in Nigeria. This activity has endangered many wild animal species such as chimpanzees, elephants and white-throated guenon monkeys.
Omo Forest Reserve in Ogun State is one of the tropical forests where mammal species are endangered because of poaching and encroachment of human activities.
The forest is located about 135 kilometres from Lagos and it contains over 200 types of trees, 125 species of birds and several mammals. This makes it not only an area of outstanding natural beauty but also an area of great conservation importance.
The forest serves as a major watershed for the rivers that provide drinking water to Lagos and as one of the largest remaining tracts of primary forest in the region. Omo Forest is also vital for safeguarding the fragile ecological balance of southwest Nigeria.
Elephant camp
The reserve also contains an elephant camp where guests can enjoy the beautiful elephants and nature trails, and stay in clean but basic cabins or tents.
The forest’s biodiversity is threatened by poaching, logging and uncontrolled farming. To support efforts to conserve the forest, the local community is being educated on the importance of conservation.
A Ranger, Emmanuel Olabode, has been one of those protecting elephants and other wildlife in the reserve for almost a decade.
He is trying to change the future of the reserve, which has been plagued by illegal invasion and wildlife population decline by ending elephant poaching in the region amid a dwindling population across the country. He has also been able to re-educate former poachers and hunters towards becoming rangers.
Olabode became involved with the Reserve about nine years ago through a programme involving the Nigeria Conservation Foundation, Wild Planet Trust, Whitney Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry.
According to him, before working with the conservation groups, he knew of the elephants but was surprised that they roamed so closely to Lagos State — the Reserve is about 130 km northeast of Lagos.
Protection
“I grew up in Sagamu, in southwest Nigeria. As a little boy, I loved going to the forest and watching animals, even rodents or squirrels, digging holes, or fetching and hiding food. It was the love of seeing wildlife in natural habits.
Eventually, in 2004, I went to study Wildlife Resources Management at the University of Ibadan. “I have been working at Omo for almost seven years.
I first visited the tropical enclave in February 2015, when I joined the great team of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation. I felt so excited to step in a forest elephant’s footprints and saw that Omo could be a haven for forest elephants in Nigeria if it is well managed.
“That’s very true. A lot of people don’t know we have elephants in Nigeria, let alone so close to Lagos. Often I have to show people videos of the elephants before they believe me. And then people ask me, ‘Why should we protect elephants and nature?’
‘‘I try to explain that forests are our life support systems and our planet sits in a delicate balance where everything is connected and interdependent.
For instance, elephants help forest trees survive. Also, the forest brings economic, social, environmental, health and spiritual benefits to mankind.” It took Olabode time to track down the elephants, having continuously identified their footprints, dung and other signs of their presence but not the animals themselves.
The project, called Forest Elephant Initiative, aims to protect and save wildlife in the Reserve while educating nearby communities on the importance of conservation. The forest elephants are being used as a flagship species to canvas the conservation campaign. Olabode said: “We also have the likes of chimpanzees, most of the primates of the south-western region are found in that forest (Omo).
In achieving that goal, we have various activities which include patrol activities. We have rangers on the ground carrying out surveillance; moving from one part of the forest to another to check what is happening and see if there is any encroachment.”
The initiative also carries out biodiversity monitoring and collaborations with researchers and experts to ensure that the ecosystem in the forest is intact. About seven per cent of the forest’s tree cover has been lost over the years due to deforestation. “Biodiversity is also a good component of our work.
Apart from the elephants, other animals are declining in population, some becoming rare to spot in the forest. For instance, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is on the verge of extinction within Omo Forest Reserve. We also have endemic species such white-throated guenons (monkeys) which are also becoming very rare.”
Deforestation
Olabode added that different types of duiker (yellow and black) have rarely been spotted during patrols, with the same being true for some types of pangolins; one of the most trafficked mammals.
He has attributed the loss of animal species to the expansion of human settlements into the forest, as well as deforestation by farmers in the area that are making room for agricultural activities such as cocoa and banana farming. “Part of the mandate for establishing Omo is for timber harvesting — which is also ongoing.
That is not a problem as such because there is a section in Omo where concession is given for timber harvesting. But where you have a commercial outfit next to conservation set up, there is bound to be trespassers — people wanting to take advantage.”
A team of about 12 rangers has been key to ensuring the protection of the Omo Forest Reserve, limiting timber harvesting and protecting the wildlife and biodiversity as much as possible.
Olabode has been able to expand the team to aid his efforts, by working with the nearby community and rehabilitating former poachers into rangers that now save wildlife and integrate indigenous knowledge into protecting the reserve.
There have been zero elephant poaching incidents in Omo since Olabode joined the initiative, almost a decade ago. However, an elephant was shot dead in what is suspected to be retaliation, in the Itasin region of Ogun State, due to the elephant disrupting the agricultural activity in the area and poor government intervention.
Though he has had success in achieving the goal of the initiative, the nearby community continues to experience human-elephant conflict. The project manager believes there is much work to be done in the Reserve as continuous forest clearance that destroys habitats and steers wildlife towards human settlements remains a challenge. Olabode said:
“The farmers are going into the habitat of the elephants, reducing the space of the elephants to roam around and thereby increasing the chances of human-elephant conflict. In 2018, we witnessed farmers moving into the conservation concession, forcing the elephants out of the area and moving them into nearby communities — to the north of Omo.
It came to a point where someone approached a baby elephant and the mother elephant came and trampled that person who died.” The initiative is also still working with the government to educate the public on alternative land acquisition for farming, and how the forest is being used for wildlife and biodiversity.
They have also asked that the government declare Omo Forest Reserve a wildlife sanctuary for the elephants and other wildlife in the area. Though efforts with the government have progressed, some responses have been slow. But Olabode is not waiting on anyone to ensure the maximum protection of Omo’s wildlife and biodiversity.
The initiative runs environmental education programmes at about seven primary schools, as well as runs conservation clubs for youths in Omo to ensure that young people grow up environmentally conscious and hopefully continue the work at the Reserve.
“I understand the fact that the forests also need people as much as the people need the forest to survive. We should care about conservation. Particularly, we should be concerned about the protection of forest elephants in the sense that it is part of our heritage. It is part of our cultural identity. And once we lose it, that is gone forever.”
