Atụmatụ Ekuri (Ekuri Initiative)
Located in Nigeria's Cross River State, the Ekuri community manages a 33,600-hectare community forest adjacent to the Cross-River National Park. Community forest management began in the 1980s, when the villages of Old Ekuri and New Ekuri united in response to the proposed logging of their forest. The project would have included the construction of a road linking the villages to local market centres; instead, the community decided to sustainably manage the forest as a community asset, generating income, subsistence materials and food.
Levies on the sale of non-timber forest products by community members financed a road that eventually reached Old Ekuri in 1990 and New Ekuri in 1997. In addition to allowing farm and forest products to reach new markets, the road has also made possible the transport of construction materials for two schools, a health center, and a civic center where the community meets to discuss forest governance decisions.
Key Facts
Equator Prize Winner: 2004
Founded: 1997
Location: Cross River State, eastern Nigeria
Beneficiaries: 6,000 community residents
Biodiversity: Cross River National Park
Case Study
Find other Winners' Case Studies in our E-Library
Equator Prize 2004
Sub-Saharan Africa
Biodiversity Conservation
Sustainable Forestry
Contact Information
Edwin Ogar (Programme Coordinator)
Ekuri Initiative
Calabar - Cross River State,
Nigeria
Tel: + 23 4803 546 1507
Email: ekuri1@yahoo.com
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