The growing pace of urbanisation is placing increasing pressure on natural habitats and wildlife across Anambra State, particularly in fast-expanding urban centres such as Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia, even as expansion of housing, roads and commercial infrastructure continue to reduce green spaces that serve as natural shelters for birds, small mammals and primates, including monkeys commonly seen around parts of the state capital.
To address the challenge, the Commissioner for Environment, Engineer Felix Odimegwu, said that the state government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to actions that endanger wildlife and natural ecosystems, and explained that the Anambra State Environmental Management, Protection and Administration Law 2024 now provides a strict regulatory framework for both public and private developments, making Environmental Impact Assessment mandatory before any construction can commence.
According to Dr. Odimegwu, no building project is permitted without a certified EIA that guarantees adequate green spacing and a minimum of thirty-five per cent tree planting within project layouts to reduce urban heating, regulate local climate, protect soil stability and preserve wildlife habitats, and further emphasized that the law is designed to prevent indiscriminate land clearing and forest loss that expose animals to displacement, food scarcity and conflict with human settlements, adding that enforcement teams are intensifying monitoring of new developments while defaulters face sanctions under the 2024 law.
Beyond government actions, community-based conservation remains critical particularly in Awka, where traditional practices continue to protect monkeys and long-standing forest areas, as a community leader, Mr. Emeka Okoye, noted that designated heritage zones containing historical and sacred trees have been preserved for generations, including Olulu Imo Awka, an ancestral location whose ancient trees are strictly protected from logging and land conversion, providing a safe refuge for monkeys within the city, warning that increasing deforestation by property developers is steadily eroding habitats that once sustained wildlife across Awka and neighbouring communities, as the world marks World Wildlife Day today, Anambra’s experience reflects a wider reality across Nigeria, where sustainable urban planning, stronger law enforcement and sustained community commitment are now essential for the survival of wildlife alongside development.
