IJFAF | An Assessment of the Conservation Attitude towards Bats in Bamenda City, Northwest Region, Cameroon

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An Assessment of the Conservation Attitude towards Bats in Bamenda City, Northwest Region, Cameroon

Melle Ekane Maurice , Olle Ambe Flaubert , Ekabe Quenter Mbinde , Chah Nestor Mbah

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DOI: 10.22161/ijfaf.1.3.2

Journal : International Journal Of Forest, Animal And Fisheries Research(IJFAF)

Abstract:

Throughout the world land dedicated to the conservation of wildlife is generally small in size due to extensive areas transformed to provide food, housing and other resources for human society. Consequently, the conservation of wildlife species like bats depends mostly on their capacity and flexibility to persist within this modified landscape, particularly in the rural environment. The objective of this research was to examine the attitude of the inhabitants of Bamenda city towards bats. The data collection was done by the use of questionnaires, administered to 525 inhabitants in the study area. The results of this survey revealed a positive correlation, R2 = 0.874 at P < 0.05 on the national government encouragement for bat-watching. The age-class and bat-watching has shown a positive correlation, R2 = 0.767 at P < 0.05. The score of 47.98% respondents has shown that so many people might be very much interested on the protection of bats population in Bamenda. Moreover, a respondent score of 54.44% was in favour of the protection of bats to enhance the conservation of fauna in the area. Furthermore, the study has shown a respondent score of 67.94% on the awareness of bats in Bamenda city, whereas 32.06% has shown unawareness. The awareness knowledge disparity might be based on the fact that some people in Bamenda city are visitors and might not have been in this city for long, hence their knowledge on the existence of bats in some areas of the city like the Up-Station neighborhood is lacking. This study recommends that an intensive conservation campaign be launched by the national government to profoundly enrich the bats conservation awareness and interest to the people of this area.

Keywords:

Wildlife species, Bat-watching, Environment, Inhabitants, Conservation.

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