Estimated protected areas impact on multidimensional poverty outcomes and assessments of PAs management and governance inputs in Nigeria

Protected areas (PAs) are important conservation tools, but can have negative effects on neighbouring residents if they limit access to areas or resources important for livelihoods. Our understanding of how well PAs perform is limited by the lack of rigorous data analysis of PAs outcomes in Africa. My thesis addresses this knowledge gap by using four rounds of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) datasets to estimate how strict and sustainable protected areas influence multidimensional poverty outcomes in Nigeria, a country currently experiencing some world’s highest levels of deforestation and poverty. My research has also used a series of telephone and face-face interviews to assess PAs management effectiveness and governance in Nigeria. On the average, my analyses found that protected areas are not associated with poverty exacerbation on local communities living closer to them. Interestingly, I found that sustainable use PAs drive the poverty reduction pattern and are associated with reduced poverty levels. My analyses of the PAs management effectiveness reveals that protected areas are ineffectively managed due to low budgetary allocation, lack of adequate park and forest management staff and inefficient environmental regulatory frameworks and low law enforcement. I also found a low participation of local stakeholders in protected areas decision making process. I recommend more large-scale analyses of protected areas impact on socioeconomic outcomes to allow comparison across African countries.