Use the information below to answer the question I - making shoes from crocodile skin II - making tables with…

Analyze the question: The listed activities are:

• I. Making shoes from crocodile skin (kills wildlife)
• II. Making tables with plastic (plastic is non-biodegradable, though it reduces timber use)
• III. Using elephant tusk for decoration (poaching of elephants)
• IV. Using firewood for cooking (deforestation)

Some of these acts harm conservation, which means protecting and wisely managing natural resources. The question asks what the Government should do to avoid those harmful acts.

Concept: Conservation is the planned management of natural resources to prevent their wasteful use, loss, or extinction. Governments achieve this mainly through legislation and enforcement, such as:

• banning hunting of endangered species
• creating game reserves and national parks (e.g., Yankari, Cross River National Park)
• regulating logging and requiring replanting
• penalizing illegal trade in animal products like ivory and skins

Evaluate the options:

• A. Encourage over-utilization of forest resources: This causes depletion, so it is wrong.
• B. Enact and enforce laws towards conservation of resources: This directly discourages killing animals for skins and tusks and restricts excessive tree felling, so it is correct.
• C. Encourage indiscriminate killing of wildlife: This leads to extinction, so it is wrong.
• D. Promote felling of trees without planting new ones: This causes deforestation, so it is wrong.

Options A, C, and D all work against conservation, so only B fits.

Answer: B

Exam tip: In conservation questions, the answer that involves laws, protection, regulation, or replanting is almost always correct. Options with words like "encourage over-use," "indiscriminate," or "without replanting" are usually distractors.