Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity between Okomu National Park and Adjacent Forest Reserves in Edo State

Habitat fragmentation across the forest landscapes of Edo State has disrupted wildlife movement and gene flow, increasing extinction risk for wide-ranging species dependent on landscape-scale connectivity. Okomu National Park, though legally protected, exists as a relatively small island of forest within a matrix of agricultural land and secondary vegetation. This study assesses the potential for wildlife corridors connecting Okomu National Park to the Gilli-Gilli and Ubudu forest reserves in Edo State. Least-cost path analysis was applied using a resistance surface derived from land cover classification of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, calibrated with field-validated land use categories. Camera traps were deployed at thirty sites along putative corridor routes to document wildlife use of inter-patch vegetation. Stakeholder interviews with local communities and forestry officials provided additional contextual data on movement barriers and land use change trends. Three viable corridor routes were identified with widths adequate for large mammal movement. Camera trap data confirmed use of inter-patch vegetation by forest elephants, chimpanzees, and medium-sized carnivores. However, at least two of the identified corridors face active encroachment threats from oil palm expansion. The study recommends immediate legal designation of the two highest-priority corridors as protected forest buffers and engagement with oil palm concession holders for corridor-compatible land management agreements. Keywords: wildlife corridor, habitat connectivity, Okomu National Park, least-cost path, Edo State