Ethnozoological Knowledge and Wildlife Use Among Igbo Communities in Imo State

Ethnozoological knowledge systems held by indigenous communities represent an important but often underdocumented resource for understanding historical wildlife abundance and sustainable use practices. This study documents ethnozoological knowledge and wildlife utilization practices among Igbo farming communities in Imo State, within Nigeria's South East geopolitical zone. Interviews were conducted with 75 elders and community members identified through snowball sampling, using semi-structured ethnobiological questionnaires. The study documents species recognized by local nomenclature, their cultural uses, perceived population trends over the past two decades, and community norms governing wildlife harvesting. A total of 62 vertebrate species were documented across cultural categories including food, medicine, ritual use, and taboo. Community members reported perceived declines in 74 percent of species historically hunted, attributing this primarily to habitat loss and market-driven hunting rather than taboo breakdown. Cultural taboos were found to protect at least eight wildlife species from hunting in study communities, including the monitor lizard, pangolin, and some snake species, functioning as de facto conservation mechanisms. The study recommends integration of local ethnozoological knowledge into state wildlife management policy and formal recognition of community taboo systems in protected area buffer zone management. Keywords: ethnozoology, wildlife use, Igbo communities, Imo State, South East Nigeria