Local Livelihood of Adjoining Communities in Yankari Game Reserve, Bauchi-Nigeria

Aim: To Investigate the local livelihood of Adjoining communities of Yankari Game Reserve (YGR) Bauchi, Bauchi state-Nigeria.
Study Design: Survey design was used for the study.
Place and Duration of the Study: Study was conducted in four communities bordering the protected area between January and March, 2014.
Methodology: Structured questionnaire was used on twenty (20) households in each of the four communities (N= 80) to generate data on socio-economic characteristics of the communities. Data was analyzed using simple percentage and Pearson correlation.
Results: The study revealed predominant youth population in the communities (43.7-49.1%) with high illiteracy level (50.7-84.1%) and farming as the major occupation (75-90%). Very low income was observed with monthly earnings between N5, 000 – N10, 000= (about $31-$62) per month per household. 90-100% households use firewood as means of energy for cooking and heating and 75-95% of households live in mud/thatch houses that require frequent reconstructions with woods. There was no significant relationship, statistically, between education and income in all the communities except Mainamaji that showed slight inverse relationship (P 0.055). On occupation and income, only Mainamaji suggested positive relationship (P0.273).
Conclusion: Socio-economic status of the support zone communities is, generally, very low.