Okomu National Park | |
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Location | Ovia South-West, Edo State, Nigeria |
Nearest city | Udo |
Coordinates | 6°20′0″N 5°16′0″E / 6.33333°N 5.26667°E |
Area | 200 km2 (77 sq mi) |
Established | 1935 |
The Okomu National Park, formerly the Okomu Wildlife Sanctuary, has been identified as one of the largest remaining natural rainforest ecosystem.[1][2] Due to the high biodiversity seen in the Okomu National Park, a Wildlife Sanctuary was first established there.[3]
It is a forest block within the 1,082 km2 (418 sq mi) Okomu Forest Reserve in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria and is located between latitudes 6° 15ʹ and 6° 25ʹ North and longitude 5° 9ʹ and 5° 23ʹ East. The park is about 60 km (37 mi) north west of Benin City.[4] The park holds a small fragment of the rich forest that once covered the region, and is the last habitat for many endangered species. It is the smallest of Nigeria's seven national parks, with a total land size of about 200 km2 and continues to shrink as villages encroach on it, and is now less than one third of its original size.[5] Powerful corporations are involved in plantation development and logging concessions around the park, which also pose a threat.[6]
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