Evaluating the Effectiveness of Community Forest Management in Cross River State

Community forest management regimes represent one of the most promising yet empirically contested approaches to reconciling biodiversity conservation with local livelihood objectives in Nigeria's South South geopolitical zone, where Cross River State's forest resources face sustained pressure from agricultural expansion, logging, and infrastructure development. This study evaluates the effectiveness of community forest management in six Community Forests established under the Cross River State Community Forest Policy across Akamkpa, Obanliku, and Ogoja local government areas. Effectiveness is assessed along three dimensions: ecological outcomes (forest cover maintenance, biodiversity indicators), institutional outcomes (rule compliance, governance functionality), and livelihood outcomes (household income from forest enterprises, equity of benefit distribution). Forest cover change within each community forest was quantified using time-series Landsat analysis comparing cover at establishment date and 2023. Biodiversity rapid assessments at paired inside-outside transects measured tree species richness, basal area, and presence of indicator species. Institutional assessments were conducted through focus group discussions and individual interviews with 80 community forest committee members and 180 participating household representatives. Results indicate significant heterogeneity in effectiveness across the six community forests, with three sites showing maintained or improved forest cover while three others show continued encroachment. Institutional functionality scores are highest in sites with clearly demarcated boundaries, written management plans, and legitimate committee selection processes. The study identifies external resource support and elite capture of benefit streams as the most critical mediating factors of community forest management success. Methodological contributions include adaptation of the IUCN management effectiveness evaluation framework for small-scale community forests in Nigeria. Keywords: community forest management, Cross River State, effectiveness evaluation, South South Nigeria, biodiversity.