Community Awareness and Participation in the Management of Akanga Forest Reserve, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Globally, community participation in forest management works. However, forest management
policies in developing countries have mostly ignored Forest Adjacent Communities' (FAC) role in
resource management. In Nasarawa State's Akanga Forest Reserve, this study examined
community forest management awareness and participation. The 967 km² reserve is home to
families who primarily farm. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect demographic,
community awareness, and forest management data from 40 random respondents. Data analysis
included descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Most respondents (75%) were landowners. The
majority (57.5%) of respondents had attended secondary school and lived in the study area for
over six years. Sixty-five per cent of respondents were unhappy with their farm earnings, and 80%
knew about forest regulations. However, only 15% had forest management training. The study
found that 87.5% of respondents agreed community forest management was necessary. Only
27.5% participated in forest management, while 72.5% did not. This indicates low community
participation in forest management in the study area, which must be addressed to reduce forest
degradation. The findings also suggest community involvement in forest management and
sustainable forest management training