Governance and Accountability in Community Wildlife Areas of Nassarawa State

Community wildlife areas represent an increasingly important governance model for integrating conservation objectives with rural development priorities in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nassarawa State, within Nigeria's North Central geopolitical zone, several community-managed wildlife areas have been established in collaboration with state forestry authorities, with mixed results regarding conservation outcomes and governance effectiveness. This study examines governance structures, accountability mechanisms, and conservation performance in three community wildlife areas in Nassarawa State. Data were collected through analysis of governance documents, community meeting observations, household surveys with 110 community members, and key informant interviews with resource management committee chairs, state forestry officers, and NGO representatives. Governance performance was assessed against a modified institutional analysis framework covering rule clarity, monitoring systems, conflict resolution mechanisms, and sanctioning capacity. Results reveal significant variation in governance quality across the three study sites, with the best-performing community wildlife area characterized by clear, locally developed resource use rules, active monitoring committees, and transparent financial reporting. Poorly performing sites lack effective sanctioning mechanisms and suffer from elite capture of wildlife revenues. The study recommends a governance strengthening program targeting accountability and transparency, peer learning exchanges among community wildlife area leaders, and integration of participatory monitoring tools. These findings contribute to the development of a Nassarawa State community conservation policy framework. Keywords: community wildlife areas, governance, accountability, Nassarawa State, North Central Nigeria