Forest management in Nigeria: Case study of Yantumaki Forest Reserve, Katsina State

Forests are one of the most important resources on the planet Earth as they supply vital products that are useful to humans and perform life-supporting functions. This calls for the management of forests to prevent their degradation and inability to supply the products and perform the services. In many developing countries, forest management has become a daunting task as they are under pressure due to several competing demands and uses. The objectives of the paper are to explain the forest management practices and the challenges of managing forests in Nigeria using the Yantumaki Forest Reserve in Danumsa local government area as a case study. The methods of data collection are through field visit to the forest reserve at Yantumaki village and the administration of a questionnaire. The major findings show that the forest management practices include legislation, demarcation, enforcement, and additional enforcement and reforestation programs. The major findings further show that there are several forest management challenges which hinder the effective management of the forest reserve. The paper recommends a number of measures that should be adopted towards ensuring the effective management of the forest reserve. Institutional involvement and policy should focus more on educating the people on the importance of maintaining forest reserves within their locality.