Socio economic impacts of the invasive typha domingensis on local communities along Nguru wetlands, Yobe State, Nigeria.

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Date
2018
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Publisher
Kampala International University
Abstract
The study was conducted in the months of July-September 2017 to assess the socioeconomic impacts of the invasive Typha domingensis (Uchytil 1992) on local communities in Nguru, Kakori and Dogon Kuka towns all along the Nguru wetland in Nguru Local Government Area, Yobe State, Nigeria. A total of 171 respondents comprising of local communities and officials of the Hadejia Nguru Wetland Conservation Project (HNWCP) and Komodougu Yobe Basin Wetlands Development Initiative (KYB-WDI) participated in the study. Descriptive Survey method of research involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed while data was collected using closed ended self-made questionnaires and Structured Interview Guide. Datawas analyzed using Descriptive statistics and Pearson Linear Correlation Coefficient. The study revealed that all of the respondents (100%) were young muslim Nigerian males within the age group of 25-34 years and majority of them (45.9%) lacking the basic formal education. Household sizes were relatively big (74.2%) and majority of the respondents (51%) belong to the Kanuri tribe while Hausa, Fulani, Kare Kare and Bade tribes were represented by 26.45, 25.8%, 3.8% and 10.15 respectively. Yobe state had the largest number of its indigenes living along the wetlands (62.3%) followed by Jigawa and Bauchi states having 23.3% and 9.4% respectively. Very good number of the respondents was engaged in fishing (32.7%) followed by crop farming (23.9%), livestock farming (27%), irrigation (10.7%), transportation (3.77%) and hunting (1.9%). Furthermore, problems associated with Typha invasion were found to be immense with 67.4% of the respondents strongly agreeing that the situation is very bad (3.12±0.363) while 78.75% of them also strongly agreed that the socioeconomic impacts of Typha invasion was as well very bad (3.72±0.04). PLCC results showed significant relationship between problems associated with Typha and the socio economic problems facing the local communities (0.988 Pearson correlation at 0.01level (2-tailed) and 0.650 Pearson correlation at 0.01level (2-tailed). Manual cutting, use of fire and chemicals were found to be the main control measures employed by the local communities. Based on the study findings, reintroduction of NEADZDP, judicious use of ecological fund, use of biological control, employment of zero grazing, giving entrepreneurial skills to local people, training people on how to improve their productivity, provision of loan facilities, subsidized pesticides as well as conversion of Typha into positive uses among others, were recommended.
Description
Dissertation available in both soft and hard copy
Keywords
Typha Domingensis, Local communities, Socio economic impacts, Nguru wetlands, Yobe State, Nigeria.
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