Population Growth and Forest Resources Exploitation in Ikom Education Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria

The main purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between population growth and forest resources exploitation in Ikom education zone, Cross River State, Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, one research question was posed and one null hypothesis was formulated at .05 level of significant. The study adopted survey research design. The population of this study comprised 1,089,053 rural dwellers in the four selected areas (Boki, Etung, Ikom purposive sample technique was used to select the sample. This technique was applied to select only 4 out of 6 local government Areas in the study area, the sample size was proportioned among the communities based on the ratio of their various populations. Questionnaire was used to collect data for the study, and was administered to 659 rural dwellers (336 male and 323 female) in only four different local government areas. The reliability coefficient, which ranges from .71- .85 was determined using Cronbach Alpha Statistics. Data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The finding of the study showed a significant relationship between population growth and forest resources exploitation in Ikom education Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria. Based on the result of the study, recommendation were made which include; Family planning education and services should be made accessible to the local population to help manage population growth and reduce pressure on forest resources.