Assessing Indigenous Communities Socio-Economic Status as Catalyst for Forest Resources Conservation in Akamkpa Local Government Area, Nigeria.

Abstract

Forest resource exploitation is one of the major issues that has generated serious attention by various scholars due to its implications in the forest ecosystem. This paper attempt a critical assessment of the influence of socio-economic status on indigenous people awareness and attitude towards forest resource conservation. However, one hundred copies of questionnaire were administered to ten communities in order to evaluate community awareness and attitude towards forest resource conservation. Findings reveal that the socio­economic status of the people significantly influences the people's awareness as evidence in the data analyses which shows a high significant level. Therefore, if the forest resources must be conserved , adequate measures must be put in place to tackle excessive exploitation of the forest resources.

Key Words: Attitude, awareness, conservation, forest, resources.