Farmers Attitudes towards Conservation of Olive Baboons in Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria

For conservation efforts to be deemed successful, local perceptions and attitudes towards conservation have to be put into consideration. A weak tolerance for wildlife can jeopardize conservation efforts. Studies on attitudes and perception of communities around Protected areas help to comprehend and analyze their needs and aspirations. This study was therefore conducted to elicit information on farmers' attitudes towards conservation of olive baboons in Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP), Nigeria. Nine communities around KLNP were randomly selected and a structured questionnaire (n=117) was administered to farmers to elicit information on their socio economic characteristics and attitudes towards conservation of olive baboons in KLNP using a three-point Likert scale. A larger percentage (98.3%) of the farners around KLNP were males. Most of them (37.6%) were between 41 and 50 years. There were more uneducated farmers (68.4%) and most of the respondents (86.3) practiced farming as a major source of income. Most of the farmers (59.8%) had a positive attitude towards the conservation of olive baboons in KLNP. The positive attitude was attributed to farmers' cultural beliefs about olive baboons, the absence of perceived threats to their lives and perceived economic benefits accruable from the establishment of the park within their communities. The Park management team should consolidate their efforts at improving the livelihood of farmers around the park and other support zone communities in order to sustain their cooperation and positive attitude towards the conservation of olive baboons in Kainji Lake National Park