Quantifying Deforestation Rates and Drivers in Idanre Forest Reserve, Ondo State, South West Nigeria

The Idanre Forest Reserve in Ondo State is one of the remaining patches of tropical rainforest in South West Nigeria, yet it faces mounting pressure from agricultural expansion, logging, and human settlement encroachment. This study quantified deforestation rates over a ten-year period using multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery and assessed the primary drivers of forest loss through household surveys and key informant interviews. Remote sensing analysis revealed a net forest cover loss of approximately 23 percent between 2013 and 2023, with the most severe losses occurring in the buffer zones bordering agricultural communities. Principal drivers identified through community surveys included subsistence farming, fuelwood collection, charcoal production, and selective logging for timber. Respondents also cited inadequate livelihood alternatives and weak enforcement of forest reserve regulations as facilitating factors. Land cover change maps generated from satellite data corroborated community-reported clearing activities in spatial clusters around settlement boundaries. The study underscores the inadequacy of current reserve management strategies and the need for integrated conservation approaches that address both ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. Recommendations include expanding community forestry schemes, enhancing the capacity of the Ondo State Forestry Commission, and deploying satellite-based real-time monitoring to detect and respond to encroachments promptly. Keywords: deforestation, Idanre Forest Reserve, remote sensing, land cover change, South West Nigeria.