| Lekki Conservation Centre | |
|---|---|
 A pathway in the Lekki Conservation Center | |
  Lekki Conservation Centre | |
| Location | Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Coordinates | 6°26′11″N3°32′8″E / 6.43639°N 3.53556°E |
| Area | 0.78 square kilometres (78 ha) |
| Established | 1990 |
| Governing body | Nigerian Conservation Foundation |
| Website | www |
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Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC) is a 78-hectare (190-acre) Natural Resource Conservation in Lekki, Lagos State Nigeria. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is part of PARCC West Africa project. [5]
The centre was established in 1990 to serve as biodiversity conservation icon and environment education centre. The facility was built by the Chevron Corporation for the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), as a reserved sanctuary for the rich flora and fauna of the Lekki Peninsula. The company has since provided annual funding for the management of the centre. [6] [7] [8]
To start the conservation project, three potential areas were surveyed in 1987 by NCF technical team in partnership with the defunct Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative. Thereafter, Lekki area was chosen to establish the demonstration site for the conservation project. Locating the conservation project on Lekki Peninsula informed the name of the project – Lekki Conservation Centre. The centre was established by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation to protect the wildlife and mangrove forests of Nigeria's South-West coastline from the threat of urban development. [9]
The Nigerian conservation Foundation is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to sustainable development and nature conservation. [10] It also serves as an area of biodiversity conservation and environmental awareness center. The foundation aims to preserve Nigeria's species and ecosystems, promote sustainability when using natural resources and advocates actions that minimise the impact on the environment and prevent resource wastage. NCF has worked tirelessly to raise environmental awareness and promote responsibility. The center is located along the Lekki-Epe Expressway in the Lekki Peninsula, opposite Chevron. [2]
The reserve area which covers a land area of 78 hectares (192.74 acres) is located on Lekki Peninsula, next to the Lekki Lagoon, and near the Lagos Lagoon. It protects the wetlands of the Lekki peninsula which consists of swamp and savannah habitats. Approaching the reserve, there's a boulevard of coconut trees that leads to a well-laid-out car and Visitors Park. It is endowed with an abundance of plant and animal life. Its huge tract of wetlands is set aside for wildlife viewing. Raised walkways enable the viewing of animals like monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, and various birds. There is also a conservation center and a library.
The wetlands are managed by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, and it now includes a figure-of-eight system of footpaths, with hiking trails and stepping stones to cross waterways. A trail boardwalk was constructed in 1992 to enrich tourists view of the vast resources of the nature reserve which is encapsulated on a mangrove terrain. Side attractions along the trail includes swamp outlook, bird hide, rest stops and the tree house. The 1.8 km nature trail behind the foremost main buildings is connected by two wooden tracks. A sturdy wooden track leading to the nature trail, reveals an expansive stretch of marshland and savannah grassland teeming with wild life, as well as rich aquatic flora and fauna. [11] [12] There's also a tree house which offers a twenty-one meters-high tree platform where one can have a panoramic view of the picnic area, reserve, visitor center and children's playground among the trees. The bird hide overlooks a swamp/marsh which is home to crocodiles and monitor lizards. The nature reserve traverses a mosaic of vegetation types: secondary forest, swamp forest and Savanna grassland. Several bird species can be seen here. The centre is a popular site for school excursions, and the shooting of music videos in Nigeria.
The mammal life, although mostly nocturnal is sometimes seen. The small reptiles, and a range of snakes and lizards are also found here. Amphibian life includes a wide range of endangered species. There is a cone-shaped structure which functions as the auditorium for lectures, conferences and seminars. At first glance, there are rare collections of striking pictures of endangered species of animals as well as plants prescribed in glass stands around the oval hall.
Efforts have been made to save different types of animals, reptiles and birdlife from extinction. The endangered species of animals includes bush bucks, crocodiles, mona monkeys, squirrels, snakes, crocodiles, monitor lizards, duikers, giant rats and hogs. [11] [12] While the trees hosts mona monkeys and other species of monkeys, the open grasslands are home to bushbucks, maxwell's duikers, giant rats, hogs, mongooses, chameleons, squirrels and an impressive variety of birdlife. [13] Park rangers are also available as guides. [11] [12] Lekki Conservation Centre has the Longest Canopy walkway in Africa. [14] [15]
Kakum National Park, located in the coastal environs of the Central Region of Ghana, covers an area of 375 square kilometres (145 sq mi). Established in 1931 as a reserve, it was gazetted as a national park only in 1992 after an initial survey of avifauna was conducted. The area is covered with tropical forest. The uniqueness of this park lies in the fact that it was established at the initiative of the local people and not by the State Department of wildlife who are responsible for wildlife preservation in Ghana. It is one of only 3 locations in Africa with a canopy walkway, which is 350 metres (1,150 ft) long and connects seven tree tops which provides access to the forest.
Canopy walkways – also called canopy walks, treetop walks or treetop walkways – provide pedestrian access to a forest canopy. Early walkways consisted of bridges between trees in the canopy of a forest; mostly linked up with platforms inside or around the trees. They were originally intended as access to the upper regions of ancient forests for scientists conducting canopy research. Eventually, because they provided only limited, one-dimensional access to the trees, they were abandoned for canopy cranes. Today they serve as ecotourism attractions in places such as Dhlinza Forest, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia, Sedim River, Kulim, Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda and Kakum National Park, Ghana.
Corcovado National Park is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula, in Osa Canton, located on the southwestern regions of Costa Rica, which is a part of the Osa Conservation Area. Corcovado National Park was established on October 24, 1975 and occupies an area of 424 square kilometres (164 sq mi). It is currently the largest park in Costa Rica and extends over about a third of the Osa Peninsula.
The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is probably the best preserved montane rainforest in Africa. It is located in the watershed between the basin of the Congo River to the west and the basin of the river Nile to the east. From the east side of the Nyungwe forest comes also one of the branches of the Nile sources.
The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a tropical dry forest ecoregion situated in the western and northern part of Madagascar. The area has high numbers of endemic plant and animal species but has suffered large-scale clearance for agriculture. They are among the world's richest and most distinctive dry forests and included in the Global 200 ecoregions by the World Wide Fund. The area is also home to distinctive limestone karst formations known as tsingy, including the World Heritage Site of Bemaraha.
The wildlife of Vietnam is rich in flora and fauna as reflected by its unique biodiversity. Saola, rare and antelope-like animal categorized under the bovine subfamily, was found in 1992 in Vũ Quang National Park. In the 1990s, three other muntjac species, the deer-like Truong Son muntjac, giant muntjac and Pu Hoat muntjac, were also discovered. Conservation protection and scientific studies of the ecology of Vietnam, particularly in the protected forest areas, have been given priority attention by the Government of Vietnam. Laws were enacted to set up Xuân Thủy Wetland National Park, four UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and Hạ Long Bay and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Parks; the last two are also designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The wildlife of Cameroon is composed of its flora and fauna. Bordering Nigeria, it is considered one of the wettest parts of Africa and records Africa's second highest concentration of biodiversity. To preserve its wildlife, Cameroon has more than 20 protected reserves comprising national parks, zoos, forest reserves and sanctuaries. The protected areas were first created in the northern region under the colonial administration in 1932; the first two reserves established were Mozogo Gokoro Reserve and the Bénoué Reserve, which was followed by the Waza Reserve on 24 March 1934. The coverage of reserves was initially about 4 percent of the country's area, rising to 12 percent; the administration proposes to cover 30 percent of the land area.
The wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo includes its flora and fauna, comprising a large biodiversity in rainforests, seasonally flooded forests and grasslands.
The wildlife of Liberia consists of the flora and fauna of the Republic of Liberia. This West African nation has a long Atlantic coastline and a range of habitat types, with a corresponding diversity of plants and animals. Liberia is considered a biodiversity hotspot and has more intact forests characteristic of the Upper Guinea Massif than do neighbouring countries. There are 2000 species of vascular plants, approximately 140 species of mammals, and over 600 species of birds.
The wildlife of the Gambia is dictated by several habitat zones over the Gambia's land area of about 10,000 km2. It is bound in the south by the savanna and on the north by the Sudanian woodlands. The habitats host abundant indigenous plants and animals, in addition to migrant species and newly planted species. They vary widely and consist of the marine system, coastal zone, estuary with mangrove vegetation coupled with Banto Faros, river banks with brackish and fresh water zones, swamps covered with forests and many wetlands.
The wildlife of Nigeria consists of the flora and fauna of this country in West Africa. Nigeria has a wide variety of habitats, ranging from mangrove swamps and tropical rainforest to savanna with scattered clumps of trees. About 290 mammal species and 940 bird species have been recorded in the country.
The Borneo lowland rain forests is an ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, of the large island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It supports approximately 15,000 plant species, 380 bird species and several mammal species. The Borneo lowland rain forests is diminishing due to logging, hunting and conversion to commercial land use.
The Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands is an ecoregion located on the coast of Angola, an area with a variety of habitats and rich in wildlife including many endemic birds and animals.
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) is an environmental non-governmental organization that promotes environmental tourism with the goal of expanding awareness of Nigeria's natural resources and creating economic incentives. Founded in 1980 by Shafi Edu, the Foundation has since undertaken numerous resource management and conservation projects across Nigeria. Chief Ede Dafinone is the current Chairman of the Foundation, and Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano is the Director-General.
The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Cross River State in southern Nigeria covers 104 km2 (40 sq mi). The wildlife sanctuary was founded in 2000 to provide refuge for endangered animal species, including the Cross River gorilla, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, the drill and the gray-necked rockfowl.
The Okomu National Park, formerly the Okomu Wildlife Sanctuary, has been identified as one of the largest remaining natural rainforest ecosystem. Due to the high biodiversity seen in the Okomu National Park, a Wildlife Sanctuary was first established there.
Lekki is a city in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is located to the south-east of Lagos city. Lekki is a naturally formed peninsula, adjoining to its west Victoria Island and Ikoyi districts of Lagos, with the Atlantic Ocean to its south, Lagos Lagoon to the north, and Lekki Lagoon to its east; however, the city's southeast, which ends around the western edge of Refuge Island, adjoins the eastern part of Ibeju-Lekki LGA.
The Niger Delta swamp forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in southern Nigeria. It consists of freshwater swamp forests in the Niger Delta of the Niger River. This swamp forest is the second largest in Africa after the Congolian swamp forests. Although there are large cities just outside the ecoregion, the area has been relatively isolated by the difficulty of building roads across the swamps, although this is changing with development of oil and logging industries. Scientific surveys have only begun in recent years, and new species were being identified into the 1990s. Crude oil exploration and pollution has been a threat to forests in the Niger Delta region.
Lagos State in Nigeria is home to several notable tourist sites. Tourism in Lagos State was first fashioned in 1995 by the Military Administration; ever since then, tourism sites have received thousands of visitors.
