Community-Based Environmental Management of Wetlands in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, Yobe and Jigawa States

This study examines the professional environmental management of the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands in Yobe and Jigawa States, North East and North West Nigeria, with particular focus on the engineering and institutional dimensions of community-based management schemes being implemented to sustain wetland ecosystem services under increasing hydrological stress. The Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands form the most significant inland freshwater wetland system in West Africa and support the livelihoods of millions of people through fishing, irrigated agriculture, and groundwater recharge, but upstream dam construction and climate change have dramatically reduced wet season flooding that sustains the wetland's ecological functions. The study employs a professional environmental management review approach, examining the engineering interventions and community management structures operating under the Hadejia-Jama'are-Komadugu-Yobe Basin Trust Fund programme. Technical assessment covers the performance of secondary canal management for flood distribution, groundwater recharge enhancement structures, and fish pond rehabilitation engineering. Institutional review examines the community water user association structure, conflict resolution mechanisms, and integration with state-level water resource agencies. Findings show that secondary canal management effectively redistributes available flood pulses but is constrained by reduced total inflow volume. Community institutions are functioning for fisheries management but require strengthening for coordinated agricultural water allocation. Engineering interventions for groundwater recharge are providing measurable benefit based on monitoring well data. Recommendations include formalising the community management agreements under Jigawa and Yobe State water legislation and increased upstream dam release commitments from the Tiga and Challawa Gorge reservoirs. Keywords: wetland management, community-based management, Hadejia-Nguru, hydrological management, Nigeria.