Agricultural Extensification and Biodiversity Loss in Ikom Cross River State, Nigeria

The study analyzed agricultural extensification and biodiversity loss in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study used primary data with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire to collect data from one hundred and ten respondents (110) through simple random sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics. The results revealed that animals like hare, wild cat, gorilla, hyena and elephant with mean scores of 2.53, 2.89, 3.40, 3.09 and 3.21 respectively were almost lost. Gorilla was at danger of extinction. Plants like ropes, otasi, hotleaf, bamboo and iroko with mean scores of 1.66, 1,62, 1.64, 1.61 and 2.00 respectively were not completely lost. Analysis of logic regression results revealed that age with coefficient 0.161, slash burn (2.734), awareness of biodiversity (3.392) years before fallow (0.842) were positive and significant at 10% level of probability. The results also revealed that the coefficient of mixed cropping (2.495), trees felling (3.006), herbicides (0.494) were positively significant at 5%. These variables, increases the probability of high extent of biodiversity loss. Farming experience, extension visit and acreage increase have negative coefficients and are significant at 5%, also land conflict (-1.996) was negatively significant at 10% implying that these variables increases the probability of biodiversity loss. The study recommended that government should enact or enforce a law to prevent human activities from engaging in excess deforestation and exploitation of organisms so as limit biodiversity loss, education of the farmers on the implication of biodiversity loss is advocated.