ABSTRACT
The inhabitants of the forest region straddling the border between Cameroon and Nigeria depend heavily on the exploitation of the forest resource base for their livelihoods (Malleson Amadi, 1993). NTFPs, in particular, help to stabilize incomes as in some cases they can be harvested during periods of low farm labour demand and at times of peak NTFP production (Arnold and Ruiz Perez, 2001). In the Takamanda region of south-west Cameroon, it is estimated that 70 per cent of the total population of the area (about 16,000 people) collect forest products for consumption and sale, representing an estimated income of US$1 million per annum (based on a 12-month study of trade routes for NTFPs in the Takamanda region by Ayeni and Mdaihli, 2001). In Cross River State, Nigeria, a much larger region with a population of 2.9 million (Cross River State, n.d.), the trade in forest products is highly lucrative, with the total annual trade in major NTFPs estimated to be 321 million naira, or US$2.4 million (Sunderland and Isoni, 2001). While demand for NTFPs in Nigeria is high, the resource base is diminishing, resulting in a large cross-border trade with Cameroon (Malleson Amadi, 1993). The highly porous border between the two countries offers considerable trade and livelihood opportunities to those in the region. The most valuable NTFP in this cross-border trade is bush mango, Irvingia gabonensis and I. wombolu, the subject of recent surveys on both sides of the border, the results of which are reported in part below (Sunderland and Isoni, 2001; Sunderland et al, 2003; Asaha et al, 2006).
