This month, the Wildlife Conservation Society hosted stakeholders' workshops in Cross River and Bauchi States to engage community members, civil society organizations, and government agencies on our "Watershed Protection for Safe and Sustainable Water Supply ( #WATERFALL)" project with support from @usaid.nigeria . These workshops, with 91 participants in Cross River and 60 participants in Bauchi, were necessary to strengthen community and inter-agency collaboration in achieving access to safe drinking water and reducing levels of waterborne diseases by protecting forest watersheds and biodiversity. #wash #wildlifeconservation #wildlife #water #watershed #wildlifeconservationsociety
We wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters a blessed #ramadan. The holy month of Ramadan is a wonderful reminder of the importance of compassion, generosity, and dignity for all people. #ramadankareem #ramadanmubarak
#DYK? Norway-sized swath of mountain forest lost between 2001-2018 | bit.ly/3JQoh90 This #internationaldayofforests, we highlight the importance of mountain forests and their unique wildlife in Cross River State. With support from partners, @thewcs is working in Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Mbe Mountains, and Cross River National Park to reduce the loss of mountain forests. #internationaldayofforest #intlforestday #forestday
Good stock-taking of seized wildlife products is crucial to prevent theft. This week, @thewcs worked with @official_customsng to inventory and safely store 1,500 kg of seized pangolin scales at the Port Harcourt Command. This project is supported by @elephantprotectioninitiative and funded by @stateinl
This week, we organized a capacity-building workshop for the @nesreanigeria Cross River State field office staff as part of our project on ‘Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in the Nigeria-Cameroon Green Corridor.’ This capacity-building workshop supported by the @biodiversitychallengefunds aims to improve awareness of illegal wildlife trafficking in the transboundary region and strengthen the inter-agency relationship in curbing this illegal trade. Wildlife Conservation Society with support from our partners is committed to working with all stakeholders in tackling illegal wildlife trafficking in Nigeria. #wildlifeconservation #wildlifetrafficking #stopwildlifetrade #protectingwildlife
With support from the @biodiversitychallengefunds , @wcsnigeria organized training for @official_customsng and @nesreanigeria this week as part of the project on ‘Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Nigeria-Cameroon Green Corridor’ to improve awareness of illegal wildlife trade in the transboundary region. #wildlifeconservation #wildlifetrafficking #stopwildlifetrade #protectingwildlife
Over 90% of bush mango (ogbono) consumed and traded in the Cross River landscape is sourced from the forest. With support from @euinnigeria , we are reducing levels of forest dependence and last year supplied more than 5,000 seedlings of improved bush mango seedlings to local women. #IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity #InternationalWomensDay #womeninconservation #WomensMonth
Happy #internationalwomensday! We recognize the role our hardworking female staff plays in saving wildlife and wild places in Nigeria, and championing gender equality within the field of conservation. We salute these amazons of @thewcs programs in Nigeria. #iwd2023 #embraceequity #womeninconservation
On #WorldWildlifeDay, we reflect on our responsibility to protect the magnificent diversity of life on our planet. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Animals and Plants (CITES), which has helped to protect thousands of plants and animals. As this year’s theme, ‘Partnership for Wildlife Conservation,’ the @wcsnigeria with support from @usaid.nigeria , are working with @nigeriaparks and Bauchi State Government @bauchistate to protect endangered wildlife and forest watersheds in Cross River National Park and Yankari Game Reserve. Forest watersheds serve as the sources of streams and rivers, which serve wildlife and local communities. Through this project, we are supporting community-based interventions on watershed governance and sanitation, ensuring access to safe water and gender-sensitive sanitation facilities to foster the improved health and wellbeing of communities. #WWD2023 #wildlife #wildlifeconservation
Today is #worldwildlifeday. The @euinnigeria supports @wcsnigeria to protect critical, connected habitats for the protection and recovery of Africa’s rarest gorillas and improve the wellbeing of local communities through sustainable livelihoods. Our sustainable livelihoods program in communities around the Cross River National Park promotes conservation-friendly cocoa farming and bush mango harvesting, which is a key goal of this project to curb deforestation that affects the important populations of Cross River gorillas and other endangered wildlife. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Animals and Plants (CITES), signed in 1973, we are pleased to see pictures from our camera traps of endangered wildlife species rarely seen in Cross River National Park and surrounding forests, thriving in their natural habitats. This #worldwildlifeday, we share hope and optimism on the impact of our work with support from @euinnigeria and @nigeriaparks #wwd2023 #wildlife #wildlifeconservation
Even in protected areas, wildlife in Nigeria isn't always easy to see, and many species are shy or nocturnal. Yet camera trap photos reveal a rich diversity of wildlife present in Yankari Game Reserve in #Nigeria. The site has been co-managed by @thewcs @wcsnigeria and @bauchistate since 2014. #conservationphotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #cameratrapphotography
With growing human populations and an expansion of surrounding farmlands, increased crop raiding by elephants has become the greatest threat to the #conservation of #Elephants in Nigeria. However, coexistence is possible. With the support of our partners @wildaid and @wildafricafund , WCS is trialling an organic #SmellyElephantRepellent fence around Yankari Game Reserve, using a recipe that has proved effective in Uganda and Kenya. The organic mixture of chilli pepper, ginger, garlic, neem leaves, eggs, and cattle dung, is boiled up and left to ferment for a month and poured into perforated plastic bottles suspended along a wire fence. We have constructed two 1.5km fences along the boundary at Shafan Duguri and Yalwan Duguri communities, where Yankari’s #Elephants frequently emerge to raid crops. Initial results are promising, and we plan to extend the ‘Smelly Elephant Repellent Fence’ to other Yankari communities. #SmellyElephantRepellent #wildlife #wildlifecoexistence