International Journal of Mol. Ecol. and Conserv 2015, Vol.5, No.4, 1-7
2
Carpaneto et al., 2007). However, the park
management has found it increasingly difficult to meet
the economic and developmental needs of their host
communities to ensure the conservation of the park’s
natural resources (Roe and Elliot, 2005; Ogogo et al.,
2010; Jacob and Ogogo, 2011).
From the perspective of wildlife conservation,
uncomfortable interactions between any protected area
and its local communities are usually perpetuated
through illegal hunting activities (Wilfred, 2010;
Wilfred and McColl, 2010; Jacob et al., 2013) referred
to as wildlife poaching, since they are carried out in
violation of the laws of the park. Wildlife poaching is
often unsustainable and is mainly done to harvest
protein (bushmeat), although it also involves
small-scale trade of by-products including skins, horns,
teeth, claws, etc. (Taylor and Dunstone, 1996; Alvard
et al., 1997; Wilfred and McColl, 2010). A variety of
different income-based factors behind bushmeat
exploitation have been put forward, apparently by
location-specific and thus it operates at a local scale.
For example, Coad (2007) found that relatively rich
households dominated the commercial use of wildlife
in Dibouka and Kouagna villages in Gabon, precisely
because they had the resources necessary to invest in
the bushmeat exploitation while in the forest
communities of Nigeria, the inability to afford
alternative source of protein (beef) and the need to
supplement household income has encourage
bushmeat exploitation (Asibey and Child, 1990;
Asibey, 1987; Ashley, 2000). This paper therefore
assess the need and strategies of the local hunters in
the light of wildlife poaching in the park to ascertain
priority options for both improving their livelihoods
and minimizing pressure on wildlife resources in the
protected area.
1 Materials and Method
1.1 Study Area
The study was carried out in the Oban Division of the
Cross River National Park (CRNP). CRNP is located
between longitude 5̊
05' - 6̊
29' N and latitude 8̊
15' - 9̊
30
'
E (Figure 1). It covers a total land area of 4000km
2
and subdivided into Okwango Division (1000km
2
)
and Oban Division (3000km
2
). The Oban division is
contiguous with korup National Park in the Republic
of Cameroon (WWF, 1989a; Ezealor, 2002). On the
east, it is bounded by Takamanda Forest Reserve, also
in Cameroon.
Figure 1 Location of Cross River National Park and its support zone communities
Note: Source: WWF 1989a and Jacob (2008)
