Blog Details

Executive Summary

The campaign awareness initiative was conducted across selected shoreline villages of the Dadin Kowa Reservoir by the Green Climate Support (GCS) to mitigate the severe and recurrent conflict between humans and the resident hippopotamus population, which has resulted in fatalities, injuries, and significant livelihood losses among fishermen and farmers. The campaign focused on providing safety advisories, highlighting the breeding season sensitivity of hippos, and promoting safe distance protocols. Initial awareness levels increased, particularly regarding the danger posed by the animals during the nocturnal hours and the breeding cycle. However, challenges persist, notably the heavy reliance of communities on reservoir-dependent livelihoods (fishing and irrigation farming), which often compels them to risk conflict. The report recommends sustained, targeted sensitization and the urgent implementation of planned alternative livelihood programs, such as fish farming (ponds) and the development of the proposed Hippo Sanctuary/Colony to ensure long-term, sustainable coexistence.

Context of Dadin Kowa Reservoir

The Dadin Kowa Dam and Reservoir, located primarily in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, is a crucial resource for irrigation, fishing, and hydroelectric power generation. The reservoir also serves as a critical habitat for a significant population of Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), a species classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Surveys conducted before and after the campaign showed a 55% increase in the community's accurate knowledge regarding hippo behavior, particularly their increased aggression during the breeding season.

The Conflict Dynamics

The conflict is driven by habitat overlap and competition for resources:
1. Safety Threat: Fatal and non-fatal attacks on fishermen in the water, especially during the hippo breeding season when animals are highly territorial and aggressive.
2. Livelihood Threat (Crop Raiding): Hippos are known to leave the water at night to forage, destroying extensive farmlands (rice, corn, vegetables) that border the reservoir, leading to substantial economic losses for local farmers.

Campaign Goal

To enhance community understanding of hippo behavior, minimize unsafe human activities in conflict hot-spots, and foster tolerance for the animals as part of the state's natural heritage, pending the implementation of permanent structural solutions (e.g., sanctuary establishment).

Target Audience

Fishermen, irrigation farmers, women (who often fetch water near the banks), and community leaders across shoreline villages including Dadin Kowa, Difa, and adjacent settlements.

Approach

The campaign was executed over a two months period using a multi-faceted approach:
1. Town Hall Meetings: Direct engagement with community heads, fisherman associations, and farmers’ cooperatives.
2. Mobile Sensitization: Use of megaphones and public address systems in village centers and market squares.
3. Stakeholder Training: Briefing State Forest Guards and local environmental volunteers on key messaging and conflict hotspots.
4. Distribution of Materials: Simple graphic charts detailing hippo conflict times and warning signs (e.g., increased presence of calves, low water levels concentrating populations).

Key Campaign Messages

S/N	Theme	Message Content	Rationale
1	Safety Protocol	Avoid water activities during high-risk times (5 PM to 7 AM). Hippos are nocturnal; this is when they forage and are most dangerous	Reducing direct nighttime encounters.
2	Breeding Awareness	Hippos are extremely aggressive when protecting their young, typically during the high-water and post-rainy seasons.	Explaining the seasonal increase in attacks.
3	Do Not Provoke	Maintain a safe distance from hippos and never attempt to scare, hunt, or injure them. Harming the animals is illegal and leads to lethal retaliation.	Promoting legal compliance and preventing aggressive responses.
3	Alternative Livelihood	Explore off-farm income generation and switch to controlled fish farming (ponds) as alternatives to reservoir fishing.	Providing practical, long-term solutions.

Awareness Levels:

Surveys conducted before and after the campaign showed a 55% increase in the community's accurate knowledge regarding hippo behavior, particularly their increased aggression during the breeding season. Many respondents confirmed they were previously unaware that the state prohibits harming the endangered species.

Behavioral Changes (Short-Term)

• Positive: A temporary reduction in fishing activities immediately after the campaign and a documented shift in fishing times to exclusively daylight hours by some youth groups.
• Negative/Neutral: Senior fishermen and large-scale farmers stated that avoiding the water at night was "economically impossible" due to market demands and the necessity of night-time irrigation, indicating a strong conflict between safety advice and economic survival.

Reported Conflict Incidents

Despite the campaign, isolated incidents of hippo attacks and major crop raiding were reported, reinforcing the finding that awareness alone is insufficient without physical separation or economic buffers. The conflict often remains high in areas where human settlements are rapidly expanding into traditional hippo foraging grounds, especially, Dadin kowa, Tinda, Malleri, Gwanin Gabas, Gwanin Yamma, Ruhu, Ayada, Kupto villages.

Key Challenges

Challenge Impact on Campaign Success Economic Dependency: Fishing and irrigation farming are the primary sources of income; people cannot afford to follow the safety advice (e.g., avoiding the river at night) if it means starving. Perception of Threat: Recent fatalities and injuries fuel fear, leading to low acceptance/tolerance for the hippos and potential retaliatory attacks. Logistics: Shoreline communities are often remote, making continuous and consistent monitoring by Forest Guards (despite recent equipment procurement like drones) very difficult.

Recommendations

S/N	Priority	Recommendation	Implementation Strategy
1	Permanent Solution	Accelerate the establishment of the Hippo Sanctuary/Colony.	Secure funding and land-use rights immediately to physically separate the core hippo population from high-traffic human areas.
2	Livelihood Diversification	Introduce alternative, non-reservoir-dependent income streams.	Partner with Government and NGOs to finance and train community members in aquaculture (pond fish farming) and off-farm vocational skills.
3	Continuous Sensitization	Institutionalize the safety advisories.	Implement a permanent monitoring system using local radio and mobile announcements, focusing messages specifically on high-risk seasons (breeding/low water).
3	Safety Infrastructure	Install basic safety markers.	Demarcate known hippo resting areas and high-use crossing points with simple warning signs visible to boaters and farmers.

Conclusion:

The campaign successfully raised awareness of the inherent dangers and protective measures. However, the deep-seated economic dependence on the reservoir necessitates that future intervention moves beyond verbal awareness to providing concrete, alternative livelihood options and implementing the long-planned infrastructural solution of a protected habitat.