DETERMINATION OF DRIVERS OF DEFORESTATION AND FOREST DEGRADATION IN NORTH-WESTERN PART OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in North-west ecological zone of Benue state, Nigeria. A multistage and sampling techniques were used, data were collected from 391 respondents across selected communities within Buruku and Gwer-East Local Government Areas with 30% sampling intensity. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the people, Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to test for significant relationship between socioeconomic variables of the people and level of deforestation, participatory index was used to assess the participation of the people in deforestation and five-point Likert scale format was used to measure the effects of deforestation in the study area. The result showed, 49.9% of the respondents were males while 50.1% were females. Farming was the dominant occupation (95.9%), and a large proportion of respondents (54.2%) were aged above 60 years. Correlation analysis revealed that age and income significantly influenced tree felling, while household size showed a strong negative correlation. Participation in deforestation was notably high, with 100% involvement recorded in Gwer-East (0.69) and Buruku (0.67). Major human factors such as fuelwood extraction, poverty, and land-use change were found to significantly contribute to deforestation. Administrative lapses, including poor forest management and failure to enforce environmental laws, were also identified as major drivers. While natural factors had minimal impact, legislative inconsistencies and lack of enforcement significantly exacerbated forest degradation. Conclusively, the consequences of these activities included diminished forest resources, loss of biodiversity, erosion, and climate change impacts. The findings recommend the urgent need for policy reforms, improved enforcement mechanisms, and community engagement in sustainable forest management practices.