Abstract: This paper investigates the environmental challenges associated with the management and utilization of Maggaia-Lamido River Basin, Sokoto State, Nigeria. It also identified the spatial distribution of communities whose means of livelihood depends heavily on the river basin under study. The paper identified that the most important environmental challenge is how to maintain the land base resource on which the economies of the local people are founded. The land base itself is challenged by desertification and behind this ecological problem stands increasing human pressures, such as, overgrazing, felling of trees for fuel, over cultivation of marginal lands etc. The results are escalating tension and conflict between villages and communities and increasing poverty, which further undermine the prospects for addressing the problems. Without significant change, environmental degradation will continue to step up within the communities like Kalmalo, Gidan Kaura and Tajaye- huchi and the natural resource base on which people’s livelihood depend on will continue to decline. Equally, this paper identified the prospects of Maggaia-Lamido river basin and proposed a paradigm shift to an innovative community based Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) strategy to serve as a catalyst for poverty reduction and increase societal resilience to the impact of climate change.Abstract: This paper investigates the environmental challenges associated with the management and utilization of Maggaia-Lamido River Basin, Sokoto State, Nigeria. It also identified the spatial distribution of communities whose means of livelihood depends heavily on the river basin under study. The paper identified that the most important environmental chal...Show More
