TOWARDS PROMOTING COMMUNITY-BASED FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE SUDAN/SAHEL ECOLOGICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

Past forest policies and legislation in Nigeria have neglected the role of communities in the development of community forestry. This has led to forest degradation in most of the forest reserves as local people illegally exploit forest products and engage in farming in and around the forest reserves. However, in recent years, community-based forest management (CBFM) has emerged as one of the major responses to the problems caused by widespread loss of frees and forest cover. Its aim is to help local people solve their own fuelwood supply problems, meet their own non-timber forest products ’ needs, and preserve the environment in which they live.