ABSTRACT
At the convergence of the Hadejia and Jama’are Rivers in northeastern Nigeria, wetlands provide groundwater recharge as well as a range of economic services. The fl oodplain is seasonally inundated with water standing on the plain to allow crops requiring such circumstances to grow, as well as providing recharge to a regional aquifer shared by neighboring Niger. The economic and environmental signifi cance of the wetland affect as many as 2 million people locally through the benefi ts of agriculture, grazing lands, fuel wood, and fi shing, and regionally from dry-season grazing, agricultural surpluses, groundwater recharge, and “insurance” resources during droughts. The wetland also provides habitat and offers scientifi c, educational, and tourism benefi ts (p. ii).
