Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows.
In the semi-arid Hadejia-Nguru wetlands of northern Nigeria, seasonal inundation has historically dictated the rhythm of floodplain agriculture and flood-recession fishing. Traditionally, community-appointed water guardians, known as Sarkin Ruwa, regulated fishing gear sizes and closed certain channels during spawning seasons to prevent overexploitation. However, the construction of upstream dams and major irrigation projects in recent decades altered the natural hydrological cycle, drastically reducing seasonal flood extents. Deprived of annual inundation, downstream floodplains dried prematurely, shrinking fish breeding habitats and degrading soil fertility. In response, many younger fishermen abandoned age-old conservation protocols, turning to fine-mesh monofilament nets to capture juvenile fish before the remaining pools evaporated entirely. While local development committees framed this shift as a desperate adaptation to climate-induced water scarcity, elder fishermen argued that the erosion of the Sarkin Ruwa's traditional enforcement authority was the primary catalyst. Consequently, despite short-term catch yields remaining temporarily stable, the underlying ecological resilience of the wetland ecosystem began to collapse.
Based on the passage, what can be logically inferred about the underlying cause of the wetland's ecological collapse?
- The degradation of ecological balance resulted from the combined effects of upstream environmental disruption and the erosion of local resource governance.Answer
- BYounger fishermen deliberately used fine-mesh nets to maximize short-term commercial profits rather than to cope with water scarcity.
- CThe Sarkin Ruwa authorized upstream dam construction to divert water toward flood-recession farming projects.
- DThe short-term stability of fish catches confirms that monofilament nets effectively mitigated the loss of breeding habitats.