ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the impact of agricultural land use on the forests in Okwangwo Division. This is achieved by examining changes in forest boundary prior to and after the establishment of the Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park. New data on forest extent, rates and patterns of loss in the villages of the Mbe Mountains complex are presented and discussed. Based on the mapping the forest extent and loss between 1967 and 1993, a spatial and temporal analysis of forest extent and loss in three detailed field study sites is undertaken. The underlying household socio-economic variables and cultural factors responsible for the observed forest loss are examined with a view is to articulating the role of small farmers in forest loss in the Division. The implications of the observed changes in forest boundary are discussed, with a focus on forest conservation and the Cross River State forestry sub-sector.
