Overview
The Lekki Conservation Centre is a protected patch of coastal wetland and secondary forest on the Lekki peninsula in Lagos State, in the South West zone. It preserves a sample of the ecosystem that covered this coast before the city expanded across it.
History
The reserve was established in the 1990s by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation as a research and education site, on land set aside as development spread eastwards from Lagos. Its surroundings have changed drastically since, from open swamp and farmland to dense urban building, which makes the enclosed area a useful reference point for what the coastal environment held. A long raised canopy walkway was added later and became its best-known feature.
What to expect
Boardwalks cross swamp forest and open water, with observation points and the elevated canopy walkway, which is high and narrow and not suitable for everyone. Wildlife recorded includes monkeys, monitor lizards, crocodiles and many birds, with sightings dependent on time of day. It is within the built-up area of Lagos and busy at weekends. Current visitor information should be checked in advance, since access and facilities are managed and change.
Connected history or culture
The reserve sits on the coast whose fisheries are described in Niger Delta and coastal fisheries, in the city whose growth belongs to the account in the fourth republic.