Gendered Livelihood Outcomes of Protected-Area Establishment in Nigeria: Evidence From Women in Cross River National Park Support-Zone Communities, Akamkpa

This study examined the gendered livelihood outcomes of Cross River National Park in four Akamkpa support-zone communities, with particular attention to women’s access to compensatory mechanisms, forest-based activities and income security. A mixed-method field design combined questionnaire data from 360 returned instruments with participatory rural appraisal, interviews and community observation. Descriptive statistics were complemented with Fisher’s exact test and chi-square tests to correct sparse-cell and categorical comparisons. Access to park compensation was extremely limited: only 1.11% of respondents reported any benefit, and no female respondent accessed credit, training, crop-loss compensation or employment. Women’s activities were mainly constrained rather than transformed, while average female monthly income declined from ₦34,100 to ₦24,583.00. Male income fell more sharply following restrictions on timber, hunting and related activities. Conservation governance must move beyond protection-centred exclusion towards gender-responsive livelihood restoration, accountable compensation and community forest rights.