Charles Emogor

As a child seeing more wild animals sold for food than animals living around my forest home in southeast Nigeria, I pursued a career in biodiversity conservation to study the complexity of biological resource extraction and use. Now, I am combining this passion with the urgent need to train the next generation of Nigerian conservationists to protect Nigeria’s vast wildlife and enhance representation in science globally.

My research on pangolins – a highly trafficked and unique group of African and Asian mammals – centred on collecting highly sensitive data, which allowed me to uncover intricate patterns and overlooked drivers of pangolin exploitation. Specifically, my findings are that African pangolin exploitation is mostly driven by demand for meat consumed locally rather than international demand for their scales, which has the potential to enhance the prioritization of community-based efforts to protect the species. Further, I created a pangolin scale converter for the Nigeria Customs Service and other enforcement agencies to assess the minimum number of pangolins involved in a seizure.

Given the need for practical field action, I founded Pangolin Protection Network (aka Pangolino) with two permanent staff, one intern, and ten volunteers. Pangolino uses art to raise awareness of pangolins and has worked in many Nigerian communities to foster positive attitudes towards biodiversity. 

My current work combines research and exploration to enhance crime prevention strategies in national parks across Africa while collecting vital data to improve the well-being of local communities depending on wildlife. The essence of my work lies in the need to reduce biodiversity loss but also address the reality that local communities depend on wildlife.

When I decided to become a conservationist, it was an easy choice to dedicate my work to pangolin conservation, as Nigeria plays an important role in the global illegal pangolin trade, and with Cross River, where I work, being a hotspot for pangolins in Africa. African pangolins are endangered, and the widespread perception that international trade in their scales drives their exploitation forms the basis for prioritizing law enforcement actions over more local and community based interventions, which is crucial for long-term change. By taking a more nuanced approach via monitoring wildlife hunting and use over 3-4 years, I have uncovered overlooked dynamics, which can put more attention on the well-being of local communities rather than villainize them.

Furthermore, my current research on crime prevention and community well-being stems from my experience conducting anti-poaching patrol for two years while working with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Nigeria. While there, I noticed that patrol routes were decided haphazardly and that efforts to improve patrols were conducted in isolation without considering the impacts of patrol improvements on the livelihoods of local communities. Aiming to bridge this gap, I am using hard-to-get and sensitive data to improve the deterrence effect of poaching while also measuring the impacts of such improvements on communities. I combine spatial data on hunters and rangers to understand patterns of hunting and ranger patrols. Furthermore, by working with those who directly exploit wildlife, I am highlighting the interactions between the culture of local communities and wildlife exploitation to address it.