Mustafa and Adetunji, 2019 Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife & Environment Vol. 11(3) September, 2019 http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jrfwe jfewr ©2019 - jfewr Publications 20 E-mail:[email protected] This work is licensed under a ISBN: 2141 – 1778 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License Mustafa and Adetunji, 2019 ASSESSMENT OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF STAKEHOLDERS OF MARKETED WILDLIFE SPECIES ALONG FIVE HIGHWAYS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA *Mustafa, M.O.1 and Adetunji, A. S.2 1Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Humid Forest Research Station, Umuahia.Abia State. 2 Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Rainforest Research Station, Ore, Ondo State *1Correspondent author: [email protected]; [email protected] ABSTRACT Wildlife is an important aspect of biodiversity but human civilization continues to impact negatively on it because hundreds of millions of animals are harvested from the wild and sold for man’s use each year. Therefore, there is need to update the existing knowledge of wildlife stakeholders in marketed wildlife species especially in the Southwest Nigeria, has become imperative. A total of twenty-three (23) games markets along five Roads in South-west Nigeria (Road 1:Ibadan-Ife-Ado-Ekiti, Road 2:Ibadan-Ife-Akure, Road 3: Ibadan- Oyo-Ogbomosho, Road 4: Lagos-Ibadan-Shagamu Interchange and Road 5: Sagamu-Ore or IIA, IID, IIO, LSO and ISI respectively) were visited monthly for two seasons to document the wildlife stakeholders’ details. Two hundred and fifty (250) copies of a structured questionnaire were administered using systematic random sampling (odd) method to obtain demographic information of the respondents including traders, hunters, herbalists, food vendors and artisans. Data generated were subjected to continuous statistics of bar charts for analysis and interpretation. Results revealed that all classes of people were represented in the trade but Road 5 (LSI) had the highest number of females with the people whose ages ranged between 16 and 25 years (6). Road 2 (Ibadan-Ife-Akure, IIA) had the highest number of people with age between 56 years and above. Generally, age-group in this study was ranked in years as 46-55 >36-45 > 26-35 > 56 plus> 16-25. It was recommended that formulation of laws and Regulations to protect wildlife poaching be enacted. Government should also establish more reserves for wildlife conservation and protection of endangered species to stop them from going into extinction through different governmental programmes and policies. Key words: Game markets, biodiversity, wildlife, conservation, endangered. INTRODUCTION Demography is the study of population size, Wildlife marketing makes favourite animals seem geographic distribution, structure and composition common as they slide towards extinction (Kilvert, as well as factors affecting these characteristics 2018). Illegal trade in wildlife and products has (Demographic Resources Research Centre, 2019). It caused decline of many species in Nigeria and it has is also the study of a population based on factors affected the economy and ecosystem (NCF, such as age, status, income levels, education, tribal 2016).Road transportation received a boost in race and sex; government and non-government Western Nigeria because the then Colonial organisations use demographics studies to learn Government pursued its objectives through road more about a population for development and transportation to export agricultural products. This economic market research (Kenton, 2018). Wildlife aided internal trade during the pre-Second World- trade deals with commerce of products that are war period when substantial quantities of garri and derived from non-domesticated animals or plants other agricultural products were transported from usually extracted from their natural environment or Ijebu towns to markets in Ibadan, Lagos, Ilorin and raised under controlled conditions (Gideon, 2014). other towns in Western Nigeria (Okuseinde,1988). JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT, VOLUME 11, NO. 3 SEPTEMBER, 2019 ASSESSMENT OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF STAKEHOLDERS OF MARKETED WILDLIFE SPECIES ALONG FIVE HIGHWAYS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA 21 Also, people of Northern Nigeria consumed kola MATERIALS AND METHODS nut as a good substitute for alcoholic drinks and Study Area cigarette and this situation enhanced kolanut The study area is the catchments of five highways transportation from the West to the North within Southwest Nigeria: Ibadan-Ife-Ado Ekiti (Olubomehin, 2012). He also reported that farmers road named Road 1or (IIA) (264 km), Ibadan-Ife- of Western Nigeria also started replacing old cocoa Akure road tagged Road 2 or (IID) (204 km), trees with kola nut seedlings, the latter therefore Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso road or Road 3 or became one of the most important commodities (IOO)(120 km), Lagos-Benin road (from Sagamu transported by road from Ijebu, Ekiti and Ondo Interchange to Ore Junction in Ondo State (153 km) Provinces to Northern Nigerian markets. These or (LSO) labeled Road 4 and Lagos – Ibadan (from Lorries on return carried commodities such as Sagamu Interchange to old Ibadan Toll Gate) or onions and beans which were not only sold in Ekiti Road 5 or (LSI)that covers (62km) (Figure 1). towns but also Oyo, Ile-Ife, Ilesha and Ibadan Wildlife markets within 100 metres off the road on (Olubomehin, 2012). This study assesses the both sides of the expressways were demarcated demographic characteristics of stakeholders of /mapped and used for the study. Materials used marketed wildlife species along five highways in were field notes, pens and pencils, structured south-west Nigeria. questionnaires and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment: Trimble Juno SD indicated the markets’ geographical locations. The markets are listed in Table 1. Figure 1: The Study area showing the roads and major neighbouring settlements JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT, VOLUME 11, NO. 3 SEPTEMBER, 2019 Mustafa and Adetunji, 2019 22 Table 1: Market Locations along the Study Roads Market Locations Km Markets and the Coordinates of States Covered Roads Latitude, Longitude and Altitude 1 Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa- 264 Ijebu Jesa,70411N4о491E, +223m; Oyo, Osun and Ado-Ekiti Road Itawure Junction 7о441N, 4о571E,+265m; Ekiti Aramoko Junction 7о431N, 5о31E,+300m; Aba Ebira (Ado-Iyin Road) 5о341N, 4о121E, +313m Total: 4 Markets 2 Ibadan-Ife-Akure 204 Asejire 1: 7о201N, 5о31E, +137m Oyo, Osun and Road. Asejire2(Olokere) 7о221N,4о71E, +145m Ondo Iyana-Ikoyi/Wasinmi 7о241N, 4о131E, +213m Ife-Interchange: 7о301N, 4о281E, +275m. Ipetu-Jesa 7о411E, 4о491E +294m Total : 5 Markets 3 Ibadan-Oyo- 120 Fiditi Market,7о391N, l 4о411E, +302m Oyo Ogbomosho Road Odo-Oba:7о271N; 4о451E, +306m Tewure Market 7о251N; 4о341E,+277m Iluju: 7о271E; 4о461E, +299m Total: 4 Markets 4 (Sagamu– Ore 153 Odogbolu Junction 6о511N; 4о331E, +63m Ogun, Ondo road) J4 Junction 6о441N; 4о191E, +72m Onipetesi 6о 441N; 4о331E, +98m IyanaOluwa: 6о441N; 4о331E, +99m Akinfosile Junction: 6о521N; 3о591E,+101m Omotosho: 6о531N; 4о71E. +259m Total: 6 Markets 5 Lagos-Ibadan- 62 Toll Gate 7о 201N; 3о 561E, +233m Oyo, Ogun Sagamu Guru-Maharaj-Ji: 7о221N; 3о561E, +189m Interchange Odo-Ona Kekere:7о141N; 3о521E, +165m Arapaja Junction: 7о181N, 3о521E, +183m. Total: 4 Markets Experimental Design Market Survey Reconnaissance Survey was conducted along the Visits to all the 23 wildlife markets identified five highways to locate wildlife markets. Thisaided (Table1) viz: Ijebu-Jesa, Itawure Junction, Aramoko the work in documenting the communities within Junction and Aba-Ebira (4 markets); along Market the catchments of the five highways. A pre-test of Road . Asejire 1, Asejire 2, IyanaIkoyi/Wasinmi, Ife 50 (retrieved) structured questionnaires Interchange, and Ipetu-Ijesa (5 markets) for Market administration was carried out for one month using Road 2; Fiditi, Odo-Oba, Tewure and Iluju (3 systematic random sampling (odd numbers) method markets) for Market Road 3; Odogbolu, J4, in all the 23 markets to collate the list of animals Onipetesi, IyanaOluwa, Akinfosile and Omotosho found in the surrounding forests and markets from (6 markets) for Market Road 4 with Toll-Gate, Guru time immemorial through farmers, traders and Maharaji, Odo-OnaKekere and Arapaja Junction (4 hunters around the markets. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT, VOLUME 11, NO. 3 SEPTEMBER, 2019 ASSESSMENT OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF STAKEHOLDERS OF MARKETED WILDLIFE SPECIES ALONG FIVE HIGHWAYS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA 23 markets for Market Road) were done monthly for On the basis of sex distribution of respondents, the two years. order of female population was Road 5> Road 4 > Road>1Road > Road 2 Male respondents were RESULTS arranged as Road 2 > Road 3 > Road 1> Road 4 > The socio economic and demographic Road 5 (18%).On the overall consideration, more characteristics of the respondents encountered females (141 or 56.4%) were encountered in this during the data collection exercise were assessed. trade (Fig.2). 50 40 30 Male Female 20 Frequency(%) 10 0 Road 1 Road 2 Road 3 Road 4 Road 5 Roads Figure 2: Sex Distribution of Respondents Assessment of age distribution of respondents Road 1> Road 2 > Road 5>, Road 4>Road. 46 to showed age group 16 – 25 years as highest on Road 55 years of age were in the order: Road 3>Road 5(12%) and absent on Road 3. Respondents 2>Road 4 >Road 1> Road 5. Old people (56 years belonging to 26 – 35 years of age were arranged as and above) were most arranged as Road 2> Road 3 Road 4> Road 5> Road 1> Road 2 > Road 3(8.0%). >Road 5> Road 1> Road 4 (Figure 3). 36to 45 years of age respondents were in this order: 35 30 25 16-25years 20 26-35years 15 36-45years 10 46-55years 5 frequency(%) 55years and above 0 -5 Road 1 Road 2 Road 3 Road 4 Road 5 Road Figure 3: Age Distribution of Respondents Considering the educational profile of respondents, Primary school certificate holders were in the order: non-formally educated ones was ranked as Road 3 Road 4> Road 1> Road 2 > Road 3 >Road 5.