Analytical Study of Environmental Management Outcomes from Nigeria’s National Park Service Reforms

This study analytically examines the environmental management outcomes from institutional reforms undertaken by the Nigerian National Park Service over the period 2018 to 2023, assessing whether restructuring of management systems, staffing, and community relations has translated into measurable improvements in ecological condition and human-wildlife coexistence at Nigeria's seven national parks. Institutional reform of protected area management agencies is a standard recommendation in conservation governance literature, but empirical evidence of whether such reforms produce ecological outcomes in Nigerian conditions is absent. The study draws on a combination of NDVI vegetation condition trends derived from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for each park and its buffer zone, poaching incident records from the NNPS enforcement database, published wildlife monitoring data where available, and semi-structured interviews with 15 NNPS management staff, 10 community liaison officers, and 40 community members adjacent to three parks (Gashaka-Gumti, Kainji Lake, and Cross River). The analysis uses a before-after comparison design with 2018 as the reform baseline year. Results show modest positive vegetation recovery trends in Gashaka-Gumti and Cross River parks during the post-reform period, but no significant improvement at the five remaining parks. Poaching incident records show a 28 percent reduction in detected incidents at parks that received the most significant ranger recruitment and equipment investments. Community relations improvements are reported at two of three assessed parks but have not translated into measurable reduction in crop-raiding conflict. Recommendations include a park-specific performance management framework with annual ecological outcome reporting. Keywords: national parks, conservation management, institutional reform, Nigeria, ecological outcomes.