Household Participation and Valuation of Community-based Forest Management in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Community forestry has gained global recognition as an effective strategy for promoting conservation goals, but participation in Nigeria has remained low. Using data from 517 households in the Niger Delta Biodiversity Conservation Project (NDBCP), this study analyzed household participation and willingness to pay (WTP) for community forest management in oil-producing forest communities in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. Multivariate probit and Heckman selection models were used to achieve the study's objectives. The results show that socioeconomic and institutional factors, such as education, gender, farming occupation, having a community forest management plan, and paying forest management levies, significantly influenced participation in community forestry activities. While the education of the household head, per capita expenditure, proportion of meals weekly from non-timber forest products, and farming occupation positively influenced household WTP, women showed a higher WTP. These findings suggest the importance of promoting education and awareness, particularly among men, diversifying livelihoods to improve household income and strengthening institutional frameworks such as community forest management plans. Tailoring socioeconomic and institutional factors into forest policy interventions is also crucial in promoting forest conservation and sustainable use of forest resources.