Threats to sustainable forestry development in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract: Oyo state has a huge forest resource. The rural communities depend on the forest for their livelihood, while it is a source of revenue for the government. Presently, the forest resource is faced with a decline in quantity and quality. In order to address this decline, this study has been designed to investigate the threats to sustainable forestry development. The data were generated from Oyo state forest resource inventory. The triangle of sustainability and International Tropical Trade Organisation (ITTO) criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management were used to discuss the impact of factors affecting sustainable forestry and evaluate forestry in Oyo state, respectively. The study indicated that forestry in Oyo state has not been able to meet the criteria for sustainable forest management. Major factors hindering sustainable forestry were socio-economic, such as unclear tenure and property right, inefficient use of resources, inadequate information about the forest, weaknesses in implementation of the forest management plan and enforcement of the forestry law. These factors have led to some impacts such as loss of revenue, economic insecurity and instability, loss of biological diversity, depletion of the forest resource and disempowerment of the rural communities. Major suggestions made are that the indigenous communities should be actively involved in forest management operations, customary laws should be incorporated into formal land allocation laws and a comprehensive environmental education campaign should be undertaken.