Deforestation in Nigeria
Let’s take a challenge: Stop and think for a while about places that give you an ethereal and serene experience e.g. a day spent in a park or a trip to a hill station or maybe the lawn or backyard of your own house. Just like you, it’s imperative for me not to think about any of my favorite places without trees. Apart from pleasure and entertainment, forests are important for maintaining the ecological balance and climate crises as well. Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They are vital for our survival as they provide oxygen, and homes for people and wildlife. 1.6 billion people rely on the benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine, and shelter. But the indiscriminate cutting of forests has led to deforestation to such an alarming level that immediate sustainable actions are required. The figure below shows the earth’s forest cover in 1800, where forests occupied almost 50% of the earth’s surface.
However, the forest cover in 2018 is strikingly different from what we had a century ago. This period has seen large-scale deforestation where the world’s forests have reduced by 12% since 1800 and one-third since the ice age.
Nigeria is one of the most adversely affected countries by deforestation. According to the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Nigeria has lost over 96% of its natural forest cover. The organization cites that deforestation is being carried out at an alarming rate of 3,5 % per annum.
In 2005, 12.2% which is the equivalent of 11,089,000 hectares (27,400,000 acres) had been deforested in Nigeria. However, from 1990 to 2000, Nigeria had lost an average of 409,700 hectares of forests each year, giving it a deforestation rate of 2.38%. Moreover from 1990 to 2005, Nigeria lost 35.7% of its forest cover in total, which makes 6,145,000 hectares.
Deforestation in Nigeria is a result of many agents which includes: climatic agents, and man. The activities of a man like logging, agriculture, urban migration, wood-burning, grazing, etc are the most common causes of deforestation in Nigeria.
The socio-economic livelihood of people is adversely affected by deforestation as it can lead to wind erosion, increase in temperature, and diseases with the consequent economic damage.
Keeping in view the data shared above it is evident that the rate at which the forest lands are being cleared, may pose a serious danger of desertification in the near future if appropriate sustainable reforestation and conservation practices are not adopted by the government, community and individual level like the government can introduce biannual plantation campaigns, more funds allocation for reforestation and afforestation, provision of alternative fuelwood to the locals, strict enforcement of laws against deforestation and bush fires.
With support from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), Nigeria adopted REDD+ Strategy (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) in 2012 which will help to tackle the country’s deforestation problem.
Thought of the Day
Reforestation protects the environment and increases food supply and income.
Some trained members of the Wula community in Cross River State in the cultivation, propagation, and management of the aging plant. Photo: UNDP Nigeria
