Gashaka Gumti faces intense pressures from a number of illegal activities including poaching, logging, illegal cattle grazing and artisanal mining. As a result, the park's landscape has been heavily degraded in places. We have found that often, the individuals engaged in Illegal activities in the park are often also engaged in kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling. It is clear that curbing the illegal activities negatively impacting the park, would also reduce criminal activities which impact the local communities in Taraba and Adamawa State.
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The main intervention to directly curtail illegal activities threatening the park is effective patrolling by disciplined, motivated, well-equipped rangers apprehending illegal offenders and preventing new illegal activity. ANI places and emphasis on human rights and prioritises cutting-edge, progressive strategies that utilise technology to monitor protected areas in partnership with government and the local communities. As a result of our patrols, illegal activity in the park has declined dramatically with a corresponding improvement of security in this part of Nigeria. This has enabled communities to return to their farms, graze their cows and other economic activities and is often cited by them as the biggest tangible benefit they have received as a result of the ANI-NPS partnership to protect the park.
Ranger Recruitment and Training
Rangers are the foundation for everything that ANI does. To date, ANI has supported the National Park Service to recruit, train and equip 120 rangers from the local communities. All the rangers receive training from an internationally recognised organisation that trains rangers for parks across Africa. The ranger training is comprehensive and includes modules on patrol strategy, orientation and map reading, human rights, first aid, and community interaction. This training is essential to ensure the rangers handle any situation in a professional, ethical and responsible manner.
Patrolling the Park
Disciplined, trained ranger patrols are the best way to curb illegal activity in protected areas. We fully equip our rangers and utilise innovative technologies to advance park protection efforts. We utilise a variety of strategies from foot patrols to aerial surveillance and deployment to monitor the park and deter illegal activities. in 2022, ANI's helicopter became the first to support protected area management in Nigeria.
Leveraging Technology
Our efforts are always based on data. With over 6,700 square kilometers to monitor, using cutting-edge technology helps us better coordinate our efforts to protect Gashaka Gumti. We partner with SMART, an organisation providing software tools for rangers that record data in the field and track patrol efforts. Using technology is critical for deploying rangers using an intelligence-led approach and gathering monitoring data on the park.
Developing Infrastructure
Given the remoteness and ruggedness of the Gashaka Gumti landscape, very little infrastructure existed in the park prior to ANI's arrival. Adequate infrastructure is crucial for building a security presence, and ANI has worked extensively to build the enabling conditions for operations. ANI has created and maintained hundreds of kilometers of park roads, established a communications system and worked to construct operations outposts to provide complete security coverage of the park. We own and operate a vehicle fleet that gives us rapid access throughout GGNP, allowing us to respond quickly to any situation.
St Nicholas House (10th Floor)
Catholic Mission Street, Lagos, Nigeria
Tel: +234 810 120 4379
E-mail: info@ani-nigeria.org