Application of Participatory Forest Management in Restoring Degraded Community Forests in Nassarawa State

Participatory forest management has been promoted as a governance innovation capable of reversing forest degradation in Nigeria by aligning local community incentives with conservation objectives, yet evidence of its restoration effectiveness under Nigerian governance conditions remains thin. This study examines the outcomes of participatory forest management implementation in four degraded community forest sites in Nassarawa State, evaluating both vegetation recovery and governance process quality. Three sites with participatory forest management arrangements were compared with a matched control site under conventional state management. Vegetation monitoring assessed woody plant density, species richness, canopy cover, and regeneration density at twelve-month intervals over three years. Governance quality was assessed through structured interviews with 85 community members and forestry officials, scoring inclusive decision-making, rule clarity, rule enforcement, and benefit distribution. Results show that participatory forest management sites recorded significantly faster vegetation recovery, with woody plant density increasing by an average of 34% compared to 11% in the control site. Governance quality scores were positively correlated with restoration outcomes across sites, reinforcing the role of institutional design in determining effectiveness. Communities that retained timber revenue locally showed stronger compliance with agreed resource use rules. Customary leaders played a critical facilitation role where formal government capacity was limited. The study recommends scaling participatory forest management in Nassarawa State through a revised community forest policy framework that mandates revenue transparency and gender-inclusive governance. Keywords: participatory forest management, restoration, governance, Nassarawa State, degraded forest