Forests play key roles in supporting national economic activities and providing livelihood
portfolios for many in Africa. They provide valuable ecosystem services like climate regulation,
hazard protection, water conservation, and also affordable goods like fuel wood, foods and
nutritional supplements, and medicinal products. Dependency of local communities on forest
resources has been identified as a major obstacle in implementing forest protection programmes.
This study estimated forest dependency and identified factors influencing dependency for
households living around Kasane Forest Reserve (KFR). Data collected from 237 households
were analyzed using logistic regression model. Logistic regression suggests that forest
dependency is positively and significantly associated with family size. However asset rich
households were less dependent on forest resources. Thus, policy makers need to consider the
needs and economic options with the above components as an alternative strategy for forest
protection for climate change mitigation so as to create a win-win relationship between
conservation and local rural development options