**1. Introduction**

The theme of this chapter is to provide a warning signal that forest reserves have also come under attack by human-induced changes resulting in forest degradation. This situation is threatening because the forest reserves in question form part of Africa's tropical rainforest. Hence, the issues of global change in the twenty-first century equally apply to forest reserve degradation. Factors responsible for these changes are global warming and the associated abnormal water shortages [drought and dry spells], land use changes, biological invasion, loss of biodiversity, changes in gas emissions, and ozone layer changes [1, 2]. These changes are experienced globally or happen in isolated locations but are ubiquitous in spread to constitute a global change [1]. This chapter places in context, the general factors driving global change in forest degradation. These include increases in population, nation states' strife to achieve economic development, and the use of resources amid technology application [3]. The problem of forest reserves, particularly, the ones located in the African tropical rainforest, is the

rapidity of the global change. Steffen et al. [4] put global change into an environmental context in which the Earth's biosphere is lively but is rapidly affected by the consequences of human activities, which threaten the very sustainability of the biosphere on which the survival of humans depends. Generally, global change and global environmental change are often used interchangeably beginning with Earth systems or planetary-scale changes [5]. Pyhälä et al. [5] argue that global change research often uses a top-down approach (global model), but the bottomup approach (local to global) is more desirable because of the use of primary data and remedies that occur at all levels.

Within the biosphere, the basic unit of analysis is an ecosystem [6]. Besides the constant flux in the ecosystem, and temporary or progressive change, the impact of global change on the ecosystem is undeniable [7, 8]. The consequential impacts on forest ecosystems are the widespread forest degradation in discrete locations constituting global-scale forest ecosystem adverse change [1, 7]. Wildfires, diseases, invasive species, insect pests, and extreme climatic events are degrading global forests [9]. These degradation factors have impeded efforts at enhancing biodiversity conservation and food and fiber security [10]. It must be added that portions of global-scale degraded forests have gone beyond recovery levels (forest loss) [11].

In terms of forest reserve degradation, some gaps still exist in the literature. However, the literature indicates a common methodology of forest reserve degradation research as the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems. Even though the methods of research are similar different results often come out revealing striking additions to knowledge. Akingbogun et al. [12] used remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems analysis to reveal that forest reserves found closer to major African cities suffer from pressures of population increase and human abuse. These factors are converting large portions of the reserves into bare ground. Using similar methods of research, Mutesi et al. [13] showed human factors such as population increase, poverty, and harvesting of forest reserve resources in rural areas have degraded forest reserves. The reserve has substantially changed to shrub land. Pacheco-Angulo et al. [14] indicated that deforestation and forest degradation are abusive to forest reserves and that the former releases a lot more carbon dioxide emissions than the latter. Deforestation and forest degradation are primarily driven by charcoal production, firewood collection, and logging. The rest of the driving forces are infrastructure development and crop farming. These factors exacerbate climate change impacts, land degradation, and biodiversity loss [15]. Even though Orimoogunje [16] also revealed deforestation and forest degradation, the study found forest regeneration propelled by local community control and enforcement of rules. Again, the degradation was one in which original species of the forest were being replaced by species tolerant of the factors of global change. Maghah and Fokeng [17] added to the degradation factors eucalyptus colonization and livestock grazing in the forest reserve leading to forest loss. The migration of large herds of cattle to settle in areas near forest reserves is an increasing phenomenon in West Africa [17]. Sinasson et al. [18] reveal the harm of forest degradation on non-timber forest resources; that, their regeneration is seriously decreasing. It is apparent from the above that grass invasion, loss of prominent plant species, and out-migration of some keystone animal species, as aspects of forest reserve degradation constitute gaps in the literature that warrant further research; and this study reports in this chapter on catering of the gaps.
