INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Natural resources include the whole earth’s natural environment. A resource is anything that meets or satisfies human need or want of civilization. Early societies used wood rather easily taxed the extent of the earth’s resources turning to a new one to fill their needs when the old were used up. The renewable resources are fossils fuels, minerals etc. Man has been using these natural resources increasingly over the years to provide him with food, materials, and energy. The end result of this is the dangers of depletion of the non-renewable resources. Renewable resources been used up faster than they are formed resulting in the pollution of the environment. If our existence on this planet is to continue, we have to conserve our natural resources (Ramalingan, et al, 1979). The term conservation came from two Latin word “Con” meaning together while “servare” means to keep or guard. Therefore, conservation literally means to keep together. Today, we think of conservation as using our natural resources wisely rather than keeping together in a status quo-situation. According to Ramalingua, et al (1979) to conserve something means to protect it and keep it in a healthy condition. In the present context conversation implies ensuring a high quality life for human by the wise use and management of natural environment. This definition has a broad scope, it thought about the protection of nature that is forest, soil, wild life etc to enrich our lives, the controlled and planned, production of useful materials, from the living environment such as crops, fisheries. The controlled use of possible idea is a corporate concept, if manipulation and decision making in regards to our natural resources but we must first know what our natural resources are and what part they play in the ecosystem. Aido Leopard (1979) a notable conservationist, pointed out that people must understand ecological process to practice conservation. The main purpose of conservation is to maintain a healthy6, functioning biosphere (part of the earth were there are living things) that will also provide us with our needs, including reservation of activities. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS The study examines the essence and importance of the environment and its resources. It is unfortunate that many people do not know the importance of the environment to mankind and it determines the existence of man and other living organisms. The reasons for the decrease in conservation of natural resources are many. They include: 1. Inadequate education, about the danger of pollution. 2. The improper waste disposal 3. Poor wastes management 4. Poor ventilation 5. Improper handling of crude oil which leads to water pollution 6. Indiscriminate bush burning 7. Illegal timber felling Nature provides us the basic needs like food, shelter, clothes, etc. for our survival. We use air, water, soil, minerals, coal, petroleum, animals, plants etc. in our daily life. But do you ever think, how long these precious materials of the nature will be available for our use. The growing population, rapid industrialization and urbanization have created heavy demand on all these materials. It is feared that unless proper steps are taken to conserve them in time, we will face tremendous hardship in future. 1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this research study is to create awareness in people on the essence and importance of the environment. Definitely people should adopt the best method of exploring the environment and care for nature and there are many benefits derived when our environment is conserved. 1. Preservation of natural forest 2. Preserving the beauty of life 3. Wildlife presentation 4. Improvement of quality of life 5. Improves our revenue 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS In this course of study, the following research questions are posed, if the nature resources are covered. 1. Are natural resources useful to mankind? 2. Does the conservation of natural resource encourage wildlife continuity? 3. Does conservation preserve the beauty of nature? 4. Does a healthy environment improve our quality of life? 5. Does conservation ensure continuous sources of minerals for energy and foreign exchange? 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This project work is designed especially to provide people particularly arose in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo state with basic or fundamental knowledge of conservation of nature resources. Information gathered from this project work if available to those people in their various places, will go a long way in solving the problem of conservation which include the nature resources. A comprehensive analysis and description of the essence of environment and its resources as provided in this project work will go a long way to inspire and educate the researcher may and other researcher who may want to carry out further research into this topic. Information available in this project work will add to the pool of already existing ideas to be used in planning developing not only biology department, Ekiadolor, Benin but also the nation at large. 1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY The researcher has limited the scope of this study to Udo, Iguobazuwa, Iguelahor College, Nikorogba, Okomu Oil in Ovia South West Local Government. The scope is limited to farmers in rural areas and also to a few students who are into research especially those in Biology Department of College of Education, Ekiadolor, Benin. Also to timber fellers who always have influence in the forest and finally the industrialist. However the research has some constraints which are; Time: the time at the disposal of the researcher which is allocated for the study was a major limitation as the researcher has to combine other academic work with the study. Finance: The finance at the disposal of the researcher in the course of the study does not allow for wider coverage as resources are very limited as the researcher has other academic bills 1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS For the purpose of clarification, the following terms which are used in the content of the study are hereby defined. Eco-System: Is the sum total of the biotic and abiotic components interacting in the environment. Endangered species: Are wildlife species (animals) which are useful to man and for entertainment but are being endangered. They are being protected from extinction e.g. stripped hydrias, giraffe, whales, kites, sparrow, hawks etc. Extinction: Is when animal’s species reptiles, birds and mammals have been hunted or killed by man which makes them go into extinction. Non-Renewable Resources: Are those resources which cannot be replaced when the initial stock is used up examples are petroleum, coal, gold etc. Renewable Resources: Are those resources which can be replaced when the initial stock are used up. Pollution: Is the release or discharge of waste substance or energy into the environment by man in quantities which are harmful to him or to other things or which in some ways reduce the quality of human life. 1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows. Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (background of the study), statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope of the study etc. Chapter two being the review of the related literature presents the theoretical framework, conceptual framework and other areas concerning the subject matter. Chapter three is a research methodology covers deals on the research design and methods adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.

Project Abstract

<p> Pastoralism is the most traditional of ruminant livestock production<br>systems in which extensive movement of the animals in search of pastures<br>and water is its salient feature. Whereas the system is adapted to<br>exploit the dry, arid climatic zone, it often overlaps into wetter,<br>agricultural land, occasionally ending up into violent conflicts.<br>Ranching is practically the intensive form of pastoralism but it has a<br>weakness of being seen as antisocial and needing high initial capital.<br>Whatever other truly improved system of exploiting the pastoral<br>agro-ecosystem, it seems it seldom can indict sedentarized tendencies<br>and rarely can it be less intensive than ranching. This study<br>investigate the problems and prospect of cattle ranching in Nigeria. <br></p>

Project Overview

<p> </p><p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</strong><strong>Background of the study</strong></p><p>Ranching is a very significant change of the pastoralist system<br>strategy. It changes the mobility nature of pastoralism where<br>traditionally there are no limits of grazing of the available pastures,<br>into controlled grazing. It also changes the common property character<br>of the pastoralist land where all land is open for pastures without any<br>individual ownership. Ranching is now the dominant system of ruminant<br>livestock production in North America, Australia and parts of South<br>America. This is because the advantages of cattle ranching and it<br>importance cannot be over emphasize Some European systems could also be<br>described as ranching, though enclosures are often small and animals are<br>frequently given supplements in the field (Ibid). In countries like<br>United States, (Ibid), communal grazing pastoralism was prevalent in the<br>19th century, but now the grazing systems are fully enclosed (Ibid)<br>From 1990 to 2003, the cattle herd in the Northern part of the country<br>grew by 140% from 26.6 million to 64 million heads. Increasing demand<br>and the sector’s advantages in the region suggest that ranching will<br>continue to grow in the region. Nevertheless, the growth of extensive<br>ranching in the region is worrying especially because of increased<br>deforestation. Scientific and modern economic intervention into<br>pastoralism has generally targeted the mobility and communal grazing<br>characteristics of the system which results into sedentarized and most<br>likely the enclosed, ranching system. This intervention has implication<br>that the pastoralist ecosystem is a limited and valuable resource. The<br>traditional pastoralist perception is contrary to this implication, and<br>considers and wishes to consider that pastoral land is essentially vast<br>wilderness with no instituted limitation of use (no use limits except<br>the availability of pastures). This obviously contradicts most<br>intervention outlook. Even with most prominent advocates for promotion<br>and improvement of pastoralist resource exploitation strategy, the<br>baseline seems somewhere to be based on sedentarization or predictable<br>location prior to other proposed measures like nutritional and<br>veterinary assistance for livestock, services such as education<br>(schools) and health; and setting up emergency grazing areas [Ibid].<br>There has been extensive scholarly analysis of the livelihood and<br>sustainability of pastoralism as a way of life of a significant<br>proportion of the human population. Much criticism exists arguing that<br>mobility of large herds of livestock is stressful to the environment as<br>it would cause extensive removal of vegetation. Repeated uncontrolled<br>grazing often ends up into bare land where vegetation is completely<br>removed. Due to livestock trampling topsoil of an area usually becomes<br>much pulverized while the immediate subsoil beneath becomes severely<br>compacted. Pulverized soil is prone to extensive loss of soil through<br>wind erosion while when it rains sheet erosion sweeps away very easily<br>most of the pulverized soil. The surface run-off becomes much enhanced<br>by the compacted soil condition. Therefore, while rainfall would be<br>stimulant for vegetation re-growth, because of extensive vegetation<br>removal and compaction the rainfall instead becomes an enhancer of<br>bareness of the soil after washing away all the soil that would support<br>vegetation re-growth. In the Sahel in Africa, it has been reported that<br>vegetation removal by livestock in the area is believed to have<br>increased soil surface albedo to the extent of causing reduction of<br>rainfall and rapid desertification. The worst thing about the unlimited<br>mobility is that it can extend its impact beyond limits. Another<br>criticism on pastoralism is centered on the system’s tendency against<br>limited use rights of pastureland In this context all pastureland is<br>communal and open to limitless grazing. Since communal use of<br>pasturelands prevents any sense of ownership of the land, no individual<br>pastoralist can think of expansion of his activities within the locality<br>in which he is existing at any particular time. At the same time the<br>pastoralist cannot intuit any idea of intensification because under<br>communal ownership there is no ground on which this intensification can<br>be exercised. Under the communal setup, for example, a pastoralist<br>cannot think of possibility of substituting some of the livestock for<br>more pasture land. This is the dilemma of the communal land tenure<br>system of traditional pastoralism. In his much referred “Tragedy of the<br>commons”, criticizes very categorically the communal grazing<br>characteristic of pastoralism and insists privatization as a way to<br>correct imbalances of the pastoralist practice. In his article he<br>described how common property resources shared by pastoralists<br>eventually become over-used and ruined. He argued that the pastoralist<br>land use strategy is unstable and a cause of environmental degradation.<br>Earlier more than a century ago, also criticized pastoralism and argued<br>observing that as far as common grazing land is concerned there is<br>everything against it. He asserted that where there is communal grazing,<br>every peasant in the village would tend to maximize the opportunity<br>within the same limited area, with the result that grazing lands become<br>always overstocked, never given rest, and usually become little more<br>than exercise grounds for cattle (Ibid). Facts about this are difficult<br>to totally refute even though some more recent literature elaborate<br>contrary opinion and argue for a more interdisciplinary apprehension.</p><p><strong>1.2 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</strong><strong>STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM</strong></p><p>When ranching was introduced, the economic contribution of the<br>livestock was the major consideration. This consideration relegated the<br>multiple functions and non-economic uses of livestock, which might be<br>more important to the Fulani. Ranching capitalized on enhanced<br>production output, but overlooked the potential use of animals as<br>self-reproducing wealth, symbol of prestige, medium of social exchange,<br>and insurance policy (Cisse 1980; and Schneider 1981). A major policy<br>mistake was that of failing to understand that traditional pastoralism<br>was an important source of food and employment on a continuous basis to<br>most of the household members (Sandford 1982; and Cossins 1983). It is<br>against this backdrop that the researcher intends to investigate the<br>problem and prospect of cattle ranching in Nigeria</p><p><strong>1.3 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</strong><strong>OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY</strong></p><p>The main the objective of the study is to ascertain the problem and<br>prospect of cattle ranching in Nigeria. To aid the successful completion<br>of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following specific<br>objective;</p><p>i) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To ascertain the problem of cattle ranching in Nigeria</p><p>ii) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To examine the merit of cattle ranching in cattle production in Nigeria</p><p>iii) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To evaluate the relationship between cattle ranching and cattle production in Nigeria</p><p>iv) &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To examine the role of cattle ranching in reducing communal clashes</p><p><strong>1.4 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</strong><strong>RESEARCH HYPOTHESES</strong></p><p>The researcher formulates the following research hypotheses to aid the successful completion of the study;</p><p><strong>H0: </strong>there is no significant relationship between cattle ranching and cattle production in Nigeria</p><p><strong>H1: </strong>there is a significant relationship between cattle ranching and cattle production in Nigeria</p><p><strong>H02: </strong>cattle ranching do not play any significant role in combatting communal clashes in Nigeria</p><p><strong>H2: </strong>cattle ranching do play a significant role in combatting communal clashes in Nigeria</p><p><strong>1.5 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</strong><strong>SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY</strong></p><p>It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will<br>be of great importance to the house committee on agriculture and<br>federal ministry of agriculture as the study seek to enumerate the<br>numerous benefit of cattle ranching over open grazing as this will help<br>in policy formation, the study will also be of importance to the<br>security operative as the findings of the study will help them<br>strategize to curb the menace of herdsmen farmers conflict in Benue<br>state, the study will also be useful to researchers who intend to embark<br>on a study in a similar topic as the study will serve as a reference<br>point to further studies. Finally, the study will be of great importance<br>to reporters, academia’s, students, teachers and the general public as<br>the study will add to the pool of existing literature and also<br>contribute to bank of knowledge in the subject matter.</p><p><strong>1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY</strong></p><p>The scope of the study covers cattle ranching problems and prospect<br>in Northern Nigeria, in the cause of the study, there are some factors<br>which limited the scope of the study;</p><p><strong>a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL:</strong>&nbsp;The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p><strong>b) TIME:</strong>&nbsp;The time frame allocated to the study does<br>not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other<br>academic activities and examinations with the study.</p><p><strong>c) Finance</strong>: the finance budgeted for the study was a<br>major constraint to the scope of the study, as the researcher has<br>limited resources at his disposal to combine both research work and<br>other academic engagement.</p><p><strong>1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS</strong></p><p><strong>Cattle</strong></p><p>Cattle colloquially cows are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos Taurus</p><p><strong>Ranch</strong></p><p>A ranch is an area of land, including various structures, given<br>primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing<br>livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool.</p><p><strong>Crisis</strong></p><p>A crisis is any event that is going to lead to an unstable and<br>dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole<br>society</p><p><strong>1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY</strong></p><p>This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows</p><p>Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the<br>(overview, of the study), statement of problem, objectives of the study,<br>research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of<br>the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study.<br>Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is<br>based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the<br>research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four<br>concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of<br>finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations<br>made of the study.</p> <br><p></p>