Threats To Biodiversity Conservation In Yankari Game Reserve, Bauchi State, Nigeria

Biodiversity is the term used to describe nature’s variety, including both the number and frequency of ecosystems, species or genes in a given assemblage (Mc Neely et al. 1990). It is considered by some to be the same as species richness; some consider it as species diversity, while many consider it to be the complete variety of life on this planet (Tackacs 1996). According to the International Convention on Biological Diversity (2003), ―Biodiversity‖(biological diversity) means the variability among living organisms from all sources, including among other things, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part including within species-diversity, betweenspecies diversity and ecosystem diversity. Biodiversity is fundamentally and categorically divided into three related levels of biological organization which are: Genetic diversity which means variability in genetic composition among the populations and individuals of the same species: Species diversity which means variability among species in ecosystem and ecosystem diversity which means habitat diversity per unit area (Fielder and Jane 1992). Biodiversity serve as the very bases of human existence and economic development because it plays a significant role in the way ecosystems function and in the many services they provide (Dushyant and Mishra 2011). These services include nutrient and water cycling, soil formation and retention, resistance against invasive species, pollination of plants, and regulation of climates as well as pest and pollution control by ecosystems (Dushyant and Mishra 2011). Globally, an estimated 40 percent of the economy is based on biological products and processes (Christ et al. 2003). However, on a global scale, biodiversity is being lost at a rate many times higher than that of natural extinction. This is caused by a number of factors, including uncontrolled land conversion, climate change, pollution, unsustainable harvesting of natural resources and introduction of invasive species (Christ et al. 2003). Conserving of biodiversity is to ensure the use of biological resources in ways that do not diminish or destroy the variety of genes and species or important habitats and ecosystems (Attuquayefio and Fobil 2005). Conservation of biodiversity could be in situ (protection, maintenance and management of variety of life forms in their real habitat) or ex situ (collection of some species or their populations and Abstract: This study was carried out on the threats of biodiversity conservation in Yankari Game Reserve, Bauchi State, Nigeria. Data were collected from protection staffs and villagers in support zone communities of the reserve using questionnaires. Protection staffs interview revealed that livestock grazing (100%), poaching (100%), and illegal fishing (80%) were among the major problems of biodiversity in the study site. Poor salary (90.9%), lack of equipment (96.4%), and insufficient funding (80%) were also among the main management problems discouraging the reserve management staffs. On the other hand, the results obtained from villagers showed that (33.5%) and (28.8%) of them were involved in fuel wood collection and charcoal production and livestock grazing respectively. The implications of these threats include habitat degradation and overexploitation of biological resources.