Forest reserves set aside for grazing are divided into zones so that the cattle move from one zone to another, taking advantage of comparatively rich ground vegetation. As a land reform measure, therefore, forest reservation in this region has been of immense advantage to the cattle economy. In the drier Sahelian region, land acquisition for forestry development is now raising some new problems for the forest services. As a result of severe drought conditions in recent years, state forest services have been seeking land on which to establish shelterbelts. Compensation for land and temporary employment opportunities are the main reasons for the acceptance of these projects and the inhabitants of this area believe in hard bargaining.
Compensation is arrived at through negotiations between the villagers and the state forest service.
In the semidesert grazing lands of Kano and Sokoto districts the villagers are demanding compensation for shelterbelt lands which makes their acquisition relatively more costly than that of commercial land in the cities. The prices may now be higher. This is a period of significant social change in the traditional societies of tropical Africa. The most important single reason for this change is the emergence of new technologies and economics, and these developments are influencing forestry and the concept of forest reserves along with nearly every other side of life. Over the past two generations there has been an increasing tendency for individuals in tropical Africa to acquire freehold rights to land, a new economic pattern for these traditional societies.