Evaluation of Factors Predisposing Primates to conflict in Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7632787Keywords:
Primates, predisposing factors, human-primate conflicts, crop damageAbstract
The study evaluated the causes of human-primate conflicts in Kainji Lake National park, Nigeria. Information on the causes of human-primate conflicts was obtained with the use of a structured questionnaire. Measurement of distances and size of farmlands (maximum of 16) at 8 locations closest to the park boundary and enumeration of the number of crop damage constituted the direct method of data collection. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test analyses were adopted to reveal the opinions of respondents for significant differences in causes of human-primate conflict. The Completely Randomised Design (CRD) was further used in comparing factors that predisposed primates to crop damage. The results revealed 63.7% of farmlands were within 500m of the park boundaries and 15.2% were located within less than 1km of the park boundaries. The causes of crop damage include the proximity of farmlands to the park (47.5%), availability of preferred food (34.0%), and the number of standing crops (17.8%). Chi-square tests revealed that the opinions of respondents P < 0.05. The vulnerability factor of the proximity of farmlands to park boundaries was significantly (P<0.05) higher than other factors, with the Ibbi range having the least distance (18.5 ± 6.5m). Crop damage was significantly (P<0.05) higher (4000 ± 1000) in Kali than in any other range. The study established the proximity of farmlands to the park cutlines and the number of standing crops as the major causes of human-primate species conflict in the study area. The park management should articulate programs that could persuade the farmers to relocate their farms to distances that cannot be reached by primate species, at least more than 1km from the park boundaries.
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