Socio-Cultural Determinants of Attitudes Toward Wildlife Conservation Among Hausa-Fulani Communities in North West Nigeria

Attitudes toward wildlife conservation are shaped not only by economic interests and direct wildlife experience but also by socio-cultural values, religious norms, and cosmological frameworks that vary significantly across Nigerian ethnic groups. Among Hausa-Fulani communities in North West Nigeria's Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States, the intersection of Islamic environmental ethics, pastoral livelihood systems, and historical wildlife use practices creates a distinctive cultural context for conservation attitudes that has been almost entirely unstudied. This dissertation investigates the socio-cultural determinants of wildlife conservation attitudes among Hausa-Fulani communities across the three states using a mixed-methods, multi-site research design. Qualitative research phases involving ethnographic observation and 120 in-depth interviews identified culturally salient dimensions of wildlife attitudes, including Islamic stewardship ethics, kinship obligations to livestock over wildlife, and cultural narratives of wildlife-human conflict. A quantitative survey of 680 respondents tested the explanatory power of identified cultural determinants against standard sociodemographic and economic predictors. Structural equation modeling reveals that religious stewardship orientation is the strongest predictor of positive wildlife conservation attitudes, surpassing education and income. Pastoralist identity is associated with significantly more negative attitudes toward large carnivores and crop-raiding wildlife. Original contributions include a validated culturally appropriate Wildlife Attitude Scale for Hausa-Fulani communities and a cultural pathway model for conservation attitude formation. Policy recommendations prioritize engagement with Islamic environmental ethics in conservation communication programs. Keywords: conservation attitudes, Hausa-Fulani, socio-cultural determinants, North West Nigeria, Islamic environmental ethics