ABSTRACT
This study assessed the perception and attitudes of people towards forest restoration in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. 50% sampling intensity was use to select 16 wards out of the 32 wards in the Local Government Area of Benin City using picking without replacement method, A total of 304 questionnaire were distributed and 287 retrieved that is 87 from Ikpoba-Okha, 95 Egor and 105 Oredo Local Government Areas respectively. Result showed that the respondents are people of all age groups who are married and educated (61.1%), indicated that they were not aware of forest restoration program and its benefits. 97% of the respondent indicated that forest provides sources of variety of fish, wildlife, plants etc, 83.1% were of the view that forests provides timber, tourism opportunities, 80% says help produce, preserve, clean and renew air soil and water, 79% are of the opinion that they enjoy the scenery sights, sounds and smell in the forest, 64.2% are aware that forest restoration of the environment increases scientific observation or experimentation and 55.8% are of the opinion that the forest is a place for them to continue to pass down the wisdom, knowledge and traditions of their ancestors. The study revealed constraints faced were lack of funds, lack of access to road, forest organization staff, fragmentation and connectivity and land use change. It was evident that certain individuals and communities have a limited understanding of the benefits of forest restoration, leading to resistance towards these programs. There is the perception that forest restoration activities are time-consuming, costly, and often not yield immediate results which discourage participation. It’s recommended that community base publicity should be introduced on forest restoration programs.
