Using Forest Resources for Economic Development and Poverty Reduction in Ekiti State

Emmanuel Rotimi Adegboyega,Akintan Oluwakemi Bolanle

doi:10.11648/j.ijaas.20210704.17

Emmanuel Rotimi Adegboyega, Akintan Oluwakemi Bolanle

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20210704.17

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Abstract

Forest products are resources of immense benefits to all especially, for the people of Ekiti being an agrarian society. In the recent time, forest products are becoming poverty reduction strategy in this part of the world. The major factors responsible for this activity include the desire for food, food security, meeting household level needs, provision of raw materials, source of foreign exchange and income as well as save physical money to meet up both household demands and foreign earning. Some of the opportunities and challenges faced are the availability of land, capital and purpose for which forest products are made available for use. Questionnaire were used to collect information on the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, various forms of forest products, their uses and services in the study area. The study found out that forest products are means of livelihood for providing food, fuel wood, fresh water protection, provision of bush meat and herbal medicine. For herbal medicine products as alternative medicine to pharmaceutical products in the society for curing the new found ailments and sicknesses. It also revealed that care must be taken to prevent deforestation, environmental degradation as well as ecological devastation in the study area. The result of the spatial tree analysis showed that unwanted destruction should be prevented so as to alleviate poverty in the study area because the inhabitants as well as the country derive means of livelihoods from the forest reserves.

Highlights

Forests as one of the environmental resources are large tracts of land covered with trees and other plants growing close together in its natural state
Ekiti State falls within the tropical rainforest but the northern part of it falls within the guinea savannah that is characterized with thick forest which makes production of charcoal/wood fuel products possible in the study area
The advocacy for environmental resources consumption pattern show that it neither short-change the present generation nor be a disadvantage to the future generation which is the thrust of sustainable development

Summary

Introduction

Forests as one of the environmental resources are large tracts of land covered with trees and other plants growing close together in its natural state. The issue of clearing forest for agriculture, mechanized farming, overgrazing, wildlife, charcoal production and overexploitation of wood resources for timber and poles, require geospatial information and analysis in this millennium to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [12]. Altering forest vegetation [4] clearing of forest trees for agriculture, overgrazing, wildlife charcoal production and over exploitation of wood resources for timber and pole is at an alarming rate [24, 22] lamented that Nigeria had lost 21% of its forest reserves because man is a ‘Homo vandalus’ species in his quest for development. The ecological/economic benefits of the forest and the strategies capable of improving afforestation and reducing overexploitation were as well investigated

The Study Area

Data Collection

10 Prosopis Africana

Source of timber

Conclusion