Assessing the Pattern of Forest Resources Consumption and Biodiversity Conservation Among Rural Dwellers in Cross River State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Forest Resources, Biodiversity Conservation, Rural DwellersAbstract
This study investigated the assessment of the pattern of forest resources consumption and biodiversity conservation among rural dwellers in Cross River State, Nigeria. Three research hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. The study adopted the descriptive research design with population of 73,755 registered farmers in Cross River State. A sample of 499 was used through multi stage technique. The instrument titled ‘Pattern of Forest Resource Consumption and Biodiversity Conservation among Rural Dwellers Questionnaire (PFRCABCARDQ) used for data collection was a structured questionnaire by the researchers which was subjected to validity test by two (2) experts in Test and Measurement Unit, Educational Foundation Department, University of Calabar, Calabar. Cronbach alpha method was utilized to establish the reliability which ranged from .62 to 75%. Simple and multiple regressions statistical tool was used in testing the hypotheses. The result obtained from the data analysis revealed that logging activities, methods of harvesting non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and Hunting practices were significant predictor of biodiversity among rural dwellers. From the findings it was recommended amongst others that conservation agencies should collaborate with traditional institutions to ensure that forests are properly maintained in the communities.Downloads
References
Agbor, A. B. (2014). Enhancing sustainable resource management in Cross River State. Annual report of the Cross River State Forestry Commission.
Akanimore, I. E. (2020). Factors militating against biodiversity conservation in Ikot-Ekpene Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Ph.D Dissertation, Akwa Ibom State University.
Aluko, O. V., Adejumo, A. A., & Babadoye, A. O. (2019). Attitude of rural dwellers towards biodiversity conservation in Onigambari Forest Reserve of Oyo State, Nigeria. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management, 12(3), 452-461.
Anakwe, F. N. (2021). Forestry regulatory and sustainable management of forest resources in Cross River State. Forestry Commission.
Andrew-Essien, E. E. (2017). Synthesizing natural resource conservation with human development goals in the Cross River National Park, Nigeria. World Environmental Journal (WEJ).
Azeez, I. O., & Aluko, O. J. (2019). Analysis of factors investigating land use conflicts in selected forest resources in Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Protection, 10, 614-624.
Bisong, F. E. (2023). Reimaging and remapping biodiversity, reflection and perspective of a Geographer. 120th Inaugural Lecture, University of Calabar, Calabar. University of Calabar Press.
Chaos, S. (2016). Forest people: Number across the world people program. ICNEC.
Eyo, E. A. (2016). Community practices and attitude towards forest resources conservation in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Journal of Biodiversity Conservation and Management, 7(3), 312-319.
Katja, H., Rudiger, W., Ernst, A. N., & Karen, H. (2017). The economic importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for livelihood maintenance of rural West Africa communities: A case study from Northern Benin. www.researchgate.net.
Mina, J., Kurttilal, M., Calama, R., de-Miguel, S., & Pukkala, T. (2020). Modelling non-timber forest products management planning in Europe. Current Forestry Reports, 6, 309-322. http://doi-org/10.1007/540725-020-001307.
Murphey, S. D. (2017). Conservation impact of commercial wildlife farming of porcupines in Kenya. Biological Conservation, 12(3), 176-184.
Ode, G. O., & Nasiru, C. E. (2016). Impact of wildlife (animals) hunting in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Forestry and Wildlife Management, 6(4), 213-221.
Offiong, A. E. A., Obeten, O. O., Uba, J. U., Oyamo, V. I., & Edet, I. B. (2025). Integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) for enhancing environmental sustainability in Cross River State, Nigeria. Faculty of Social Science, University of Abuja Journal, 60-72.
Offiong, A. E. A., Enidiok, M. S., Oyamo, V. I., Uba, J. U., & Etta, A. A. (2025). Enhancing the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals for nation building through quality education systems in Cross River State, Nigeria. Education for Today Journal, 21(2), 34-44.
Ohan, S. B. (2024). Climate change adaptive strategies and conservation of forest resources in Cross River State, Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.D Dissertation, Department of Environmental Education, University of Calabar, Calabar.
Otukwa, B. I. (2018). Forest conservation strategies and change mitigation measures in Southern Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 4(1), 37-45.
Pauline, B. E. (2018). Biodiversity and natural ecosystem. Wusen Publishers, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, pp. 75.
Salawu, A. A. (2018). Participation of rural people in forest conservation: A case study of Origambari Forest Reserve. Unpublished project submitted to the Department of Forestry Technology, Federal College of Forestry, Jericho, Ibadan, 32-33.
Shuibu, R. B., Alarape, A. A., & Buchi, H. M. (2018). Religion as an effective tool in forestry practices, wildlife conservation and environment sustainability in Kogi State, Nigeria. Journal of Research in Forest, Wildlife & Environment, 10(2), 78-84.
Simms, J. R. (2015). Principle of Qualitative Group and Society Science. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.com
Swanson, B. (2018). Global review of good agricultural extension and advisory services practices. Rome: FRA, 5(10), 980-987. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
Yaccoz, N. G., Nicholas, & Bouliner. (2017). Monitoring of biological diversity in space and time. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 16, 446-453.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Global Nexus Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Global Nexus Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (GNJMR) operates under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), allowing others to share and adapt the work non-commercially, as long as they credit the original creation. This policy fosters collaboration and accessibility, encouraging wider dissemination of research while respecting authors' rights.
. 
