In addressing the threat and decline in pollinators and pollinator services they provide for nature, people, and climate can only be achieved with the knowledge and interconnectivity mapping of sites/habitat and the role communities plays in ensuring their long-term conservation.
The team made visits to Nigeria’s protected areas (PAs), which have been identified as the major host of pollinators in the country, especially being a safe haven for pollinator species like bees, butterflies, birds, etc. The visit assisted the team to understand the significant pollinators’ role in food production system, climate change mitigation, and habitat improvement for conservation of biological diversity while working with three national parks, to empower local people in Support Zone Communities (SZCs) of these PAs to safeguard pollinator species while developing a sustainable framework that best monitor, record, and report/update the information on pollinator and pollinator services in these sites.
A total of 9 pollination ranges were identified across the 3 national parks within the scope of this study. The Oban Pollination Range in Cross River National Park has the highest richness of pollinators, while the Oyo-Ile Pollination Range has the lowest species richness and pollinator services based on our ranking. The most significant challenges peculiar to all the protected areas’ pollination area are insecurity, and the role of collaboration with military forces in order to counter terrorism in the Parks is required to secure their future.
