CONSERVATION WITHOUT ADEQUATE COMPENSATION AND GENDERED LIVELIHOOD ADJUSTMENT IN THE OBAN SUPPORT ZONE OF CROSS RIVER NATIONAL PARK NIGERIA 24 16
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.83374/jesber.vol1no2.40Keywords:
protected areas, gendered livelihoods, compensation access, support-zone communities, non-timber forest products, Cross River National Park, conservation governance, livelihood diversificationAbstract
This study re-examines gendered access to compensation and livelihood adjustment in Oban Division support-zone communities adjoining Cross River National Park, Nigeria. Questionnaire and participatory rural appraisal evidence from 360 respondents in Ifumkpa, Old Netim, Oban and Aking was reconstructed into auditable descriptive tables. Reported inferential outputs were retained only where their variables could be identified, and inconsistencies were disclosed. Results show limited access to compensatory benefits: only four male respondents were recorded as receiving employment, while no respondent was recorded as receiving credit, crop-loss compensation or skills training. Livelihood profiles indicate gender specialisation, with women concentrated in farming and non-timber forest-product collection and men concentrated in timber-related activity. After park establishment, 126 male respondents were recorded as having stopped their former activity, whereas 181 female respondents reported limitations rather than complete cessation. Only 18 of 360 respondents described income as adequate. Implications: Conservation policy requires gender-responsive benefit access, eligibility, non-forest enterprises, market support and participation in resource governance. The study distinguishes documented access, perceived livelihood changes and causal attribution, supporting equitable protected-area management without claiming that the cross-sectional archive isolates park effects from wider economic change.Downloads
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