EVALUATION OF AWARENESS AND CONSERVATION LAW COMPLIANCE AMONG VISITORS TO LEKKI CONSERVATION CENTRE, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study evaluated visitors’ awareness of conservation laws, willingness to comply with conservation laws, level of compliance with conservation laws and threats to conservation at Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos State, Nigeria. Random sampling method was used to administer 384 copies of questionnaire to the visitors at Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC). Data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Results revealed that majority of the visitors were aware of conservation laws as legal instruments for biodiversity conservation and majority were aware of the conservation laws that were operative at Lekki Conservation Centre. Also, 43% of the visitors had average willingness to comply with conservation laws and 51.6% had average level of compliance with conservation laws. The threats to conservation revealed biodiversity laws not given adequate priority like other laws as a major threat affecting conservation laws (Mean=4.70). Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between awareness of conservation laws and effectiveness of LCC in creating awareness (p=0.000). Finally, this study affirmed that conservation laws contribute to biodiversity conservation in Nigeria. Therefore, tourist sites should include conservation education as part of their plans in order to create awareness about the importance of biodiversity conservation in Nigeria.