Effects of Illegal Forest Activities on Sustainable Forest Management in Ayegun-Opara Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Ayegun-Opara forest reserve has experienced different forms of illegal activities over the years leading to loss of its biodiversity. Hence, the study on the effects of illegal forest activities on sustainable forest management was carried out in Ayegun-Opara forest reserve, Oyo State. Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 101 respondents were selected for the study. The primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire and interviews. The questions were designed to identify illegal forest activities in the area, access factors contributing to illegal forest activities in the area, and socio-economic impacts of illegal forest activities in the study area and results were analyzed using descriptive, chi-square, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The results showed that the majority of the respondents were male (59.4%), 35-44 years old (37.0%), married (86.1%), 46.5% had secondary education and 63.4% were non-natives. The main occupation was trading in forest products with 41.6%. Major illegal activities include logging of timber without a license (98.0%), excessive logging (95.0%), and logging of unauthorized volumes (93.1%). Factors contributing to illegal activities in the study area gave an overall significant fit to the data judging from the Chi-square value that was significant at p<0.05. Major ways of mitigating illegal activities in the area are; the arrest of illegal loggers, awareness campaigns, regular patrol and restriction into the forest reserve, and imposition of dues for forest production with 98.0%, respectively. Conclusion: To ensure the sustainability of the reserve, there is a need for planned management, utilization and conservation of the resources.