Okomu National Park

Okomu National Park
Okomu National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Ovia South-West, Edo State, Nigeria
Nearest city	Udo
Coordinates	6°20′0″N 5°16′0″E / 6.33333°N 5.26667°E
Area	200 km2 (77 sq mi)
Established	1935

The Okomu National Park, formerly the Okomu Wildlife Sanctuary, has been identified as one of the largest remaining natural rainforest ecosystem.^[1]^[2] Due to the high biodiversity seen in the Okomu National Park, a Wildlife Sanctuary was first established there.^[3]

It is a forest block within the 1,082 km² (418 sq mi) Okomu Forest Reserve in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria and is located between latitudes 6° 15ʹ and 6° 25ʹ North and longitude 5° 9ʹ and 5° 23ʹ East. The park is about 60 km (37 mi) north west of Benin City.^[4] The park holds a small fragment of the rich forest that once covered the region, and is the last habitat for many endangered species. It is the smallest of Nigeria's seven national parks, with a total land size of about 200 km2 and continues to shrink as villages encroach on it, and is now less than one third of its original size.^[5] Powerful corporations are involved in plantation development and logging concessions around the park, which also pose a threat.^[6]

^ Enaruvbe, Glory O.; Osewole, Afolabi O.; Mamudu, Ozien P.; Rodrigo‐Comino, Jesús (15 April 2021). "Impacts of land‐use changes on soil fertility in Okomu Forest Reserve, Southern Nigeria". Land Degradation & Development. 32 (6): 2130–2142. doi:10.1002/ldr.3869. ISSN 1085-3278.
^ Anadu, P. A., & Oates, J. F. (1982). The Status of Wildlife in Bendel State, Nigeria, with Recommendations for its Conservation. Nigerian Federal Ministry of agriculture, Abuja and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Lagos.
^ Olaleru, F; Egonmwan, RI (3 November 2014). "Wildlife conservation challenges in Okomu National Park, Nigeria". Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management. 7 (6): 670. doi:10.4314/ejesm.v7i6.10. ISSN 1998-0507.
^ Cite error: The named reference NNPS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Williams2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Lutz1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Enaruvbe, Glory O.; Osewole, Afolabi O.; Mamudu, Ozien P.; Rodrigo‐Comino, Jesús (15 April 2021). "Impacts of land‐use changes on soil fertility in Okomu Forest Reserve, Southern Nigeria". Land Degradation & Development. 32 (6): 2130–2142. doi:10.1002/ldr.3869. ISSN 1085-3278.

[2] Anadu, P. A., & Oates, J. F. (1982). The Status of Wildlife in Bendel State, Nigeria, with Recommendations for its Conservation. Nigerian Federal Ministry of agriculture, Abuja and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Lagos.

[3] Olaleru, F; Egonmwan, RI (3 November 2014). "Wildlife conservation challenges in Okomu National Park, Nigeria". Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management. 7 (6): 670. doi:10.4314/ejesm.v7i6.10. ISSN 1998-0507.

[NNPS-4] Cite error: The named reference NNPS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Williams2008-5] Cite error: The named reference Williams2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Lutz1998-6] Cite error: The named reference Lutz1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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