Abstract

The Hadejia-Nguru wetlands is an extensive area of flood plains located in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of north east Nigeria. The population rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. In recent years, climatic vagaries, increasing populations and unregulated livelihood activities have significantly affected water and other resources availability and communities are faced with constant struggle of survival under a declining resource base. This study assessed the adverse effects of environmental change on resource users and how this influences their livelihood options. Understanding the perceptions, knowledge and practices of local resource users and what shapes their livelihood options is an area of critical importance that is currently under-researched in the area. This paper argues that to effectively influence policy and practice that support sustainable use of natural resources, it is important to not only understand resource user's knowledge and choices about their changing environment but how they utilize this knowledge in their actions and the overall impact on the environment. Mixed methods consisting of semi-structured questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) based on two Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools (Village Timeline and Contextual Change) were utilized to solicit primary data. Environmental change in the area is accelerated by human activities and people have developed several local mechanisms of adapting to change. These adaptive measures could further be explored for developing policies and programs aimed at tackling the challenges of environmental change and resource decline.

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