Assessment of management effectiveness of Lekki conservation centre in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out in the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC), a private nature reserve, between April and September, 2010, with the objective of assessing the management effectiveness of the Nature Reserve. The study was carried out through visual assessment as well as interviews with people living around LCC, some key staff of Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) and LCC, to establish baseline data. It also involved the use of structured closed and open ended questionnaires for three categories of respondents – tourists, NCF and LCC staff based on the World Bank/WWF Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT). The research outcome showed that unsustainable adjacent land use, isolation and inadequate funding were the major threats to the effective management of the centre’s conservation objec- tives. Legal status, resource inventory, boundary demarcation, protected area design and objectives, security of bud- geted fund, regular work plan, awareness education and resource management are some of the strengths of LCC. The overall management effectiveness score for LCC was 75.3%. Recruitment of more staff, drafting and implementation of a management plan and seeking additional sources of funding are ways LCC can improve their management effectiveness.

Keywords: Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME), Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC), Nature Reserve, Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT).