SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THREATS AND THREAT SEVERITY OF ADAMAWA RANGELANDS, NIGERIA

This study was undertaken to assess threats, rangeland susceptibility to threats and their severity in Adamawa rangelands, Northeast Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used to elicit information from both pastoralists and the management of the range sites. Data on threats factors was analysed using the following indices: prevalent threat, range sites susceptibility, the mean score of threat factors and the relative threat factor severity. Threats to biodiversity, their prevalence and the number of range sites they occurred showed that invasion by undesirable plants, over-exploitation of forage resources, and bush fires occurred in the three range sites with 100% prevalent threat indices. Diseases and pests, conflicts and settlement policy problems occurred in two of the range sites with 66.7% prevalent threat indices. While farmer encroachment, erosion drought, population increase, poaching and problems associated with rangeland policies occurred in one of the range sites with prevalent threat indices of 33.3%. The threats with the highest severity indices include over-exploitation of forage resources, conflicts, invasion by undesirable plant species, drought, diseases and pests. Others are settlement policy, population increase, bush fire and rangeland policy. Planned burning combined with reseeding of the range sites should be carried out to improve on the composition and abundance of forage resources of the rangelands.