The National Park Service of Nigeria was established by Decree 36 in 1991 with five national parks. These were Gashaka Gumti, Kainji Lake, Cross River, Old Oyo and Chad Basin National Parks. In 1992, Yankari Game Reserve was converted to a national park, bringing the total to six national parks. With the promulgation of Decree 46 of 1999, now Act 46 (Cap 65 LFN 2004), in 1999 two additional national parks; Kamuku and Okomu were established.

National Park Distribution

What is a national park?
Many definitions have been given to explain what a national park is. We adopt here the definition provided by The World Conservation Union, IUCN (1990):
A national park is a relatively large area of land and/or sea where;
a. One or several ecosystems that are not materially altered by human exploitation and occupation; where

National Park Distribution

NATIONAL PARKS OVERVIEW

Nigeria is blessed with rich and unique array of ecosystems, and a great variety of wild fauna and flora. This rich natural endowment is a product of the climatic variations resulting into various north-south gradations of habitats and ecosystems. The habitats support more than 1,340 species of animals among which is 274 mammalian species, making it the 8th highest in Africa.