Indigenous communities' perceptions of ecosystem services of a montane forest ecosystem in Nigeria: Implications for restoration planning

Restoration of protected areas should aim to maximize outcomes for both biological conservation and local people's livelihoods. In rural Africa, livelihoods are inextricably linked to the provision of ecosystem services (ES) from natural resources, so that community-centred biodiversity conservation must be guided by local perceptions of ES. Our study examined perceptions of ES among eight communities within a 5-km radius of a Nigerian forest reserve characterized by an elevational gradient of 700 m, spanning montane forest, mid-elevation forest, and savannah. The montane forest is noted for its outstanding biodiversity value. We employed semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and species-use inventories to characterize which ES are recognised, and their perceived importance. We also conducted an ethnobotanical assessment to document community uses of plants and classified the species as savannah or forest species. Across settlements, we observed a three-fold variation in the number of ES recognized, ranging from 6 to 20. Provisioning services, especially food, were ranked higher than regulating, cultural, or supporting services in most settlements. Notably, most provisioning services were from savannah, rather than forest species. Our study adds to growing data on indigenous knowledge about ecosystem services. Implications from these findings are that: i) Landscape-scale management should maintain a mosaic of montane forest and derived savannah to reflect prevailing provisioning needs while enhancing regulating and supporting services. ii) Restoration should prioritise tangible provisioning benefits (e.g., non-timber forest products, medicines and food) alongside regulating and supporting services to align with local priorities. iii) Given potential trade-offs between scientifically derived valuations (biodiversity, regulation) and stakeholder priorities, co-design of restoration objectives and adaptive governance are essential to secure local buy-in and on-going stewardship.