Facing catastrophic deforestation, Nigeria is deploying an unconventional defense: recruiting the very poachers and loggers who once threatened its last wildlife refuges.
Nigeria's strategy to combat illegal logging and poaching
Sunday Abiodun, left, a former poacher turned forest ranger, argues with an illegal logger during a patrol inside the Omo Forest Reserve Nigeria on Monday, July. 31, 2023.
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Sunday Alamba/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved
In Okomu National Park, the NGO Africa Nature Investors (ANI), now trains former offenders as armed rangers.
With Nigeria having lost 96% of its original forests, this turnabout tackles the root cause: poverty driving environmental crime.
Measurable impact
The strategy shows promise. Since ANI's 2022 takeover, rangers have made approximately 200 arrests.
Crucially, illegal activity is now trending downward, a sign the park's protectors—who know the forest intimately—are becoming its most effective guardians.
The road ahead
The challenge remains vast, with only 30 rangers hired from 300 applicants.
ANI complements enforcement with village microfinance programs, aiming to build a ring of prosperity that sustains both the community and the protected forest.