From Degradation to Deforestation: Historical and Gender Perspectives on the Use of Forestlands in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

This study brings historical and gender perspectives to bear upon the debate oh the use and management of natural resources in developing countries, using a part of the forest area of south western Nigeria as a case study. It traces the ways forest resources were used and managed during the precolonial, colonial and postcolonial periods, using data from questionnaire survey of about 200 households as well as oral accounts derived from Focus Group Discussions in the study area. The outcome of the study largely reveals that the failure during the colonial period to heed indigenous valuations and uses of the forest environment accelerated the process of deforestation in the area. In particular, the introduction of individualized land tenure and commercialise agriculture during the colonial period brought about changes in the structure, nature of production and capital accumulation that affected, negatively, the hitherto mutual relations between men and women in the study area. The paper also highlights more general issues that are essential for the formulation of conservation policies in the forest environment of developing countries.