Amidst Climate Change issues, Nigeria’s fast depleting Forest resources are causing an alarming environmental problem. The nation’s Forest Cover is disappearing at an unprecedented rate due to factors like urbanization, agriculture, expanding populations, and irresponsible Logging operations. There are serious and pervasive effects of this depletion on the local community as well as the ecosystem. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that Nigeria loses about 3.7% of its forest cover yearly, making it one of the countries with the greatest rates of Deforestation worldwide. Nigeria’s forest cover decreased from over 9.6 million hectares in 2005 to just over 7.5 million hectares by 2020.
This translates to a yearly loss of forest cover of almost 100,000 hectares, or more than 450,000 hectares in the last ten years alone. According to a more recent assessment by Global Forest Watch, Nigeria experienced a 12% rise in deforestation from prior years in 2022, losing almost 96,000 hectares of tree cover. These concerning figures highlight how serious the issue is and how quickly action must be taken. A recent research on forest resources conducted by the Federal Department of Forestry also confirmed that Nigeria’s forest estate has been severely depleted.
Agricultural expansion is one of the main issues.
It was estimated that only roughly 974,674 hectares of the forest reserves are productive, whereas 2,342,147 hectares of free land are moderately productive. FAO and other stakeholders have identified many critical causes contributing to Nigeria’s rapid depletion of forest resources. One of the main causes is agricultural expansion, especially when it comes to unsustainable farming methods due to the fact that large-scale agriculture has mostly destroyed forested regions. Over 70% of Nigerians depend on agriculture for their living, and as a result, forest areas are being encroached upon.
Also, illegal and irresponsible logging occurs in woods that naturally occur. The illicit logging of timber, which accounts for an estimated 80% of Nigeria’s timber exports, is rapidly depleting forest reserves. Urbanization, which encompasses the Construction of buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, frequently occurs without adequate planning. Nigeria’s woods are under a great deal of stress due to the country’s fast Urbanization of cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. With an annual increase in the urban population of more than 4%, Nigeria is witnessing one of the fastest rates of urbanization in the world.
Forest management regulations have become obsolete.
To provide room for homes, highways, and industrial developments, forests are removed. Biodiversity has decreased and forest ecosystems have been fragmented by this urban development. Tree loss is also accelerated by a strong reliance on fuelwood, particularly in rural regions. As fuelwood is used for cooking in more than 70% of Nigerian households, there is a widespread cutting of trees. The issue is made worse by the urban need for charcoal, which supports illicit tree-cutting activities in rural regions. Deforestation continues at a rate of 400,000 hectares annually, with forest cover dropping by 3.5 to 3.7 percent per year, according to the UN’s REDD+ initiative.
Deforestation is made worse by lax enforcement of environmental rules, which permits the practice to go unregulated. The regulations and guidelines pertaining to the management of forests have become obsolete. Nigeria has laws and policies in place to protect its forest resources, but enforcement is still weak. Effective conservation efforts are hampered by corruption, a lack of capacity, and inadequate Finance for Forest Management organizations. Furthermore, there is inadequate oversight, surveillance, and monitoring of forest regions. Nigeria faces serious threats from declining biodiversity, rising carbon emissions, and the deterioration of vital ecosystems if these trends continue.
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The degraded state of Nigeria’s forests poses a threat to biodiversity, exacerbates the effects of climate change, and jeopardizes the livelihoods of rural communities that depend on these ecosystems. Nigeria has taken action to reduce deforestation after realizing the extent of its forest loss. Reforestation initiatives, community-based forest management, and raising public understanding of the value of forest protection are some of the ways that these problems are being addressed. However, the country’s forest resources will keep disappearing if the government does not make a firm commitment to sustainable practices, which will create long-term ecological and economic problems.