Wetland Resources of Nigeria: Case Study of the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands

Abstract

Wetlands are water body in the terrestrial or semi-terrestrial ecosystem characterized with low drainage, soil, and plant. Wetlands are very important and valuable components of the ecosystem. They serve as habitat for man and animal, source of food, shelter and other ecosystem services etc. There are different wetlands in the world and Nigeria owns one of the internationally recognized wetlands in the world, the first wetland recorded as a Ramsar site. Hausa, Kanuri and Fulani are the most pronounced tribes that dominate the area. The resources attributed to the wetlands in Nigeria are highly valuable; they contain fish, reptile species, mammal species, amphibian species, and bird’s species. In Nigeria, the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands is a wide expanse of floodplain wetlands, which is situated in the North-East Nigeria; it is located in the Sudanosahelian zone, which is the zone between the Sudanian Savanna in the south and the Sahel in the North. Some of the activities carried out on the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands include fishing, agriculture and tourism activities. There are different challenges facing wetlands globally, some of which are pollution, over intensification of agriculture activities, industrialization and urbanization. Some of the challenges in wetlands are due to the lack of monitoring and sustainability measures from government and lack of awareness of the inhabitants.