Build Nigeria’s Next Generation of Conservation Scientists
Cross River State is home to two of the world’s most heavily trafficked mammals: the White-bellied and the Black-bellied pangolin, both under intense pressure from illegal hunting and trade. Pangolino needs your help to build a conservation center that will enact long-term solutions while educating the next generation of Nigerian conservation scientists.
Raised so far
$00% funded
APPEAL Snapshot
Partner
Location
Cross River State, Nigeria, Africa
Appeal Category
- Community Support and Development
- Capacity Building and Training
- Wildlife Conservation
Key Species
- White-bellied pangolin
- Black-bellied pangolin
Partner Qualifications
The Challenges
Cross River State is home to two of the world’s most heavily trafficked mammals, the white-bellied pangolin and black-bellied pangolin, both under intense pressure from illegal hunting and trade. Conservation capacity in the region hasn’t kept pace with that threat: few facilities exist to train, mentor, or equip Nigerian researchers, leaving a critical gap between the urgent need for evidence-based conservation and the people available to deliver it. Communities living alongside pangolins often depend on the same forests for their livelihoods, creating trade-offs between economic survival and biodiversity protection that demand locally grounded, scientifically sound solutions.
Urgent Solutions
Pangolino has already purchased land near Calabar—roughly the size of a soccer field—to build a Conservation Research and Training Center. The center will train early-career Nigerian scientists in field ecology, spatial analysis, and conservation science, while supporting the community-based programs already reducing pangolin hunting in the region: school conservation clubs, participatory monitoring, and co-designed interventions with local stakeholders. By integrating fieldwork, data science, and community collaboration, the center will generate the evidence needed to guide conservation strategy across Nigeria.
Why Your Donation Matters
Funding this center builds a durable pipeline of Nigerian conservation expertise rather than another short-term intervention. Donations will go directly toward computers, essential infrastructure, and stipends for students and early-career conservationists—resources that currently don’t exist in the region. Strengthening local capacity means conservation solutions stay rooted in local knowledge and leadership, which is what’s required to address the deeper drivers of pangolin hunting: poverty, limited livelihood options, and weak enforcement. The center will also sustain the community programs already underway, helping reduce pressure on pangolins while building a sustainable foundation for conservation science in West Africa.