Environmental And Socio-Economic Effects Of Timber Exploitation In Imo River Estuary, Eastern Obolo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Ebong Mbuotidem Sampson (1), Victory Udoh (2), Nsidibe Mbuotidem Sampson (3), Comfort Abraham (4)
(1) Department of Geography and Natural Resources, University of Uyo, Nigeria,
(2) Department of Geography and Natural Resources, University of Uyo, Nigeria,
(3) Department of Geography and Natural Resources, University of Uyo, Nigeria,
(4) Department of Geography and Natural Resources, University of Uyo, Nigeria

Abstract

This study evaluated the environmental and socio-economic effects of timber harvesting and identified the drivers increasing the rate of timber exploitation in the Imo River Estuary, Eastern Obolo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Conducted across five LGAs, a random sampling technique selected 300 respondents, with 60 from each LGA. Data collection involved structured questionnaires, and analysis included percentages, frequencies, Likert scale rating, exploratory factor analysis, and Chi-square tests. Key findings indicated that the primary drivers of timber exploitation were unemployment, lack of forest regulations, unstable government policies, lack of trained officials, and high timber product costs. Factor analysis revealed that loss of biodiversity, disappearance of forest cover, and damage to immature trees and non-wood forest products are the most significant environmental effects, with scores far exceeding the 0.3 decision threshold. The most severe social effect identified was the high cost of farm labor, while the increased cost of wood and forest products and high living costs ranked highest among economic effects. This study is significant for environmental policymakers, conservationists, researchers, and geographers in Nigeria, contributing to the understanding of forest conservation in Southern Nigeria. Unlike the common issues of militancy and pollution in the Niger Delta, this study focuses on the specific drivers of forest depletion, adding valuable insights to the limited literature on this topic. The study concludes that timber harvesting significantly impacts the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the area's inhabitants. Factors such as unemployment, high timber costs, unstable policies, lack of trained officials, poverty, and hunger drive timber exploitation. Effective resource management and sustainable practices are crucial to maintaining a balanced ecosystem and ensuring the long-term availability of natural resources for future generations.

Full text article

Generated from XML file

References

Agbo, F. U., Onyenekwe, S. C., & Obasi, F. A. (2015). Sustainable timber utilization and management in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 10(19), 2061-2067. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2014.9462

Ajake, A. O., & Enang, E. E. (2012). Demographic and socio-economic attributes affecting forest ecosystem exploitation and management in the rural communities of Cross River State, Nigeria. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2(1), 174-184.

Akachukwu, A. C. (2015). Disappearing forests: The consequences and challenges of sustainable development in Nigeria. In Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria held in Markurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, 20th-25th November 2006, 48-61.

Belcher, B., Achdiawan, R., & Dewi, S. (2015). Forest-based livelihoods strategies conditioned by market remoteness and forest proximity in Jharkhand, India. World Development, 66, 269-279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.08.023

Brown, C., Durst, P. B., & Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission. (2003). State of forestry in Asia and the Pacific, 2003: Status, changes, and trends.

Butler, R. (2012). How to save tropical rainforest. Retrieved 2016 from http://rainforest.mongabay.com/1001/.htm

Díaz, S., Fargione, J., Chapin III, F. S., & Tilman, D. (2006). Biodiversity loss threatens human well-being. PLoS Biology, 4(8), e277. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040277

FAO. (2009). Situacion de Los basques del Munro. FAO, Rome, Italy.

FAO. (2012). Forestry resource assessment, and the state of the world's forest. FAO, Rome, Italy.

Geist, H., & Lambin, E. (2012). What drives tropical deforestation? A meta-analysis of proximate and underlying causes of deforestation based on substantial case study evidence. Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC), Report series 4, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP). http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~luedeke/lucc4.pdf

Hirakuri, S. R. (2013). Can law save the forests? Lessons from Finland and Brazil. CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia, 2(51), 1-120.

King, E. J., & Udosen, E. O. (2010). Deforestation in Akwa Ibom State: Causes, impact and solutions. In Forestry and Sustainable Environment: 1st Workshop of Forestry Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State Branch, April 2001.

Klawitter, S. (2014). China's Agenda 21: White paper on China's population, environment, and development in the 21st century. Environmental Policy Research Center, Innestr. 22, 14-915.

Landell-Mills, N., & Porras, I. T. (2012). Silver bullet or fools' gold? A global review of markets for forest environmental services and their impact on the poor. IIED, London, 7(11), 1-254.

Owusu, B., Nketiah, K. S., & Aggrey, J. (2011). Combating unacceptable forest practices in Ghana. Tropenbos International, Ghana, Policy brief, September 2011, 1-20.

Putz, F. E. (2011). Tropical forest management and conservation of biodiversity: An overview. Conservation Biology, 15, 7-20. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.00018.x

Summerlin, N., Soo, E., Thakur, S., Qu, Z., Jambhrunkar, S., & Popat, A. (2015). Resveratrol nanoformulations: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 479(2), 282-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2015.01.003

Sunderlin, W. D., Angelsen, A., Belcher, B., Burgers, P., Nasi, R., Santoso, L., & Wunder, S. (2015). Livelihoods, forests, and conservation in developing countries: An overview. World Development, 33(9), 1383-1402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.10.004

Valente, C., Spinelli, R., & Hillring, B. G. (2011). LCA of environmental and socio-economic impacts related to wood energy production in alpine conditions: Valle di Fiemme (Italy). Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(17-18), 1931-1938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.06.026

Wilson, S. (2020). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Fernwood publishing.

Authors

Ebong Mbuotidem Sampson
mbuotisampson@gmail.com (Primary Contact)
Victory Udoh
Nsidibe Mbuotidem Sampson
Comfort Abraham
Sampson, E. M., Udoh, V., Sampson, N. M., & Abraham, C. (2019). Environmental And Socio-Economic Effects Of Timber Exploitation In Imo River Estuary, Eastern Obolo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Innovation Journal of Social Sciences and Economic Review, 1(1), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.36923/ijsser.v1i1.29

Article Details

Smart Citations via scite_
Views
  • Abstract 54792
  • Download PDF 409