For years now, Nigeria has been grappling with severe environmental challenges like land degradation, drought, and desertification. Deforestation, particularly, has over the years affected the country, as shown by data from Global Forest Watch indicating that Nigeria lost 86,700 hectares of tropical forest from 2010 to 2019. Another report noted that without immediate intervention, a quarter of the country’s remaining forests will disappear by 2060, leaving behind vast stretches of degraded and barren land across our nation. To this end, the country is focusing on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to tackle issues like global warming, improve climate resilience, reduce poverty, and promote Sustainable Development in the country.
This initiative is fully in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the eight areas of focus for his presidency. Nigeria’s goal of revolutionizing the energy sector is crucial, but it is imperative to acknowledge that achieving a net zero target by 2060 will require a shift towards Renewable Energy as well as a transformation of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector. This dual approach will not only facilitate Economic Growth in Nigeria but also ensure that the country stays true to its Sustainability objectives. Tinubu’s administration is very dedicated to implementing nature-based solutions like ecosystem restoration and sustainable management at an accelerated pace to tackle social and environmental challenges.
Dual strategy are taken to combat forest degradation, deforestation.
As such, the country is actively utilizing various initiatives such as the ACReSAL project, REDD programme, the Great Green Wall Initiative, natural capital accounting, and the HYPREP mangrove restoration in Ogoni Land. The pilot program was initially implemented in 2009 in Cross River and is expected to expand to Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau states. The country’s approach in 2021 to combat forest degradation and Deforestation involved a dual strategy at both federal and state levels, tailored to the country’s distinct federal system. The release of the REDD+ Strategy paper outlined methods to reduce Emissions by 20% by 2050, emphasizing quantifying progress and utilizing forests as carbon sinks.
The phased implementation of the strategy will span thirty years, from 2021 to 2050, and includes goals set for short, medium, and long-term periods. Nigeria is also at the forefront of the Great Green Wall initiative in the Sahara and Sahel regions, which is a continent-wide project initiated by the African Union back in 2005. The main goal of this project is to rejuvenate 100,000 hectares of land, absorb 250 tonnes of CO2, and generate 10,000,000 employment opportunities along Africa’s Great Green Wall region. It focuses on combating land degradation, desertification, and biodiversity decline while enhancing climate adaptation.
Great Green Wall initiative in Nigeria has overseen tree-planting.
A new organization called the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) has been set up by the country to oversee a program that aims to coordinate efforts in implementing the initiative in eleven states – Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, and Adamawa. So far, the Great Green Wall initiative in Nigeria has encouraged the growth of native tree species, implemented 1,500 kilometres of shelterbelts and woodlots, and developed new income opportunities for communities to reduce their dependence on the land during the restoration process, set up plant nurseries and overseen tree-planting initiatives resulting in millions of trees being planted.
Also, ACReSAL initiative was initiated on the country in 2021 across all nineteen Northern states in partnership with the World Bank. This program focuses on utilizing nature-based solutions to combat Climate Change and promote sustainable development in semi-arid landscapes. The ACReSAL project takes a holistic approach to addressing climate change and land degradation through various sectors in Northern Nigeria. Its main areas of focus are landscape investments, strategic watershed planning, emergency response preparation, community development, protection of special ecosystems, and other related activities. Currently, both state and federal governments are working towards achieving the goals of the project.
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Interestingly, Nigeria is among a select group of 12 countries chosen to participate in The Global Environment Facility’s (GEF-8) Net-Zero Nature-Positive Accelerator Integrated Programme (NZNPA IP). This initiative aims to assist countries in increasing their goals to reach national net-zero targets and advancing nature-positive results. By doing so, it will establish the foundation and environment needed for sustained, nature-friendly, and fair overall economic change. The country will prioritize incorporating nature-based solutions as it looks to present its NDCs by 2025. This strategy would help to combat food Insecurity and attract crucial climate financing.