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ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to evaluate communities perception towards forest reserves in Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo state, Nigeria. This was achieved by addressing the following objectives; examine the thoughts of local communities towards forest reserves in Ovia North East and evaluate the impacts of forest reserves on their livelihoods and community development. Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 218 respondents for the study. Data for the study were collected using structured questionnaire administered to respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics tools such as frequency and percentage.
Results showed that more males are involved in urban forestry practices. Results also showed that 58.80% of respondents are aware of forest reserves in their communities. 81.65% of respondents are dependent on the forest for various products and benefits, mostly Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) for subsistence purposes. It was observed that 57.80% of the respondents had a positive attitude towards forest reserve and its activities organized by forestry department. Based on the results of the study it shows that local people from the selected communities signified their readiness and willingness to participate in the forest conservation activities. It was recommended that there is need to integrate forest resource access to members of the community’s programs with conservation education and communication campaigns. Community dwellers should be given training on forest conservation and management and initiate programs that directly involve locals in the management of the resources.
