Carpolobia trade evaluation was carried out between 2003 and June 2010 in the Ejagham Forest
Reserve of South West Cameroon and the Cross River State of Nigeria, with the objective of examining
the harvesting, marketing and the economic contributions of Carpolobia trade to the National and
International economies of Nigeria and Cameroon. Carpolobia as a Non Timber Forest Product (NTFP)
is the stem of an ever green shrub from the family Polygalaceae that is harvested from the forest
ecosystem, processed into a cattle control and walking stick (locally known as Hausa sticks), and
marketed in Cameroon and Nigeria. In order to achieve the set objectives of the study, the line transect
was used to assess species level of abundance while questionnaire and a selection of Participatory
Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools were employed to gather information on the species season of occurrence,
harvesting and trade/marketing from Carpolobia species harvesters and other forest user groups in the
study area. Analysis of collected data revealed that two species of Carpolobia are found in the study
area (Carpolobia lutea, and Carpolobia alba). C. lutea was the most economically valued species for the
Carpolobia species trade. The sourcing and processing of C. lutea for the market was found to be
characterized by the use of locally made tools that destructively cut the plant below the ground level
with little room for natural regeneration. Market prices for C. lutea were found to be determined by the
contractors who acted as cartel. ANOVA and t-test analysis showed significant differences in product
quantities within and between zones and the two seasons of the year at the P<0.05 level of significance.
A total of 16,103,065.2 tons of C. lutea were produced and traded between 2003 and June 2010, valued
at about 24,076,915 F CFA (US$ 48,153.83) as internally generated revenue (IGR) to the economies of
Cameroon and Nigeria. The natural stock of Carpolobia species in the study area is on a sharp decline
due to unsustainable harvesting.