About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

96 J.L. Pol'y & Globalization 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/jawpglob96 and id is 1 raw text is: 


Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization                                                       wwis:etorg
ISSN 2224-3240 (Paper) ISSN 2224-3259 (Online)                                                        -
Vol.96, 2020                                                                                         1151E


     Environmental Law and the Reality of the Conservation and

                          Management of Forests in Nigeria

                                      Dr Williams Adewumi  Adebayo
     Department of Business and Industrial Law, Faculty of Law, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Abstract
Degradation of Forest lands and resources in Nigeria by anthropogenic factors has continued unabated in Nigeria
with severe implications for environmental protection and sustainable development. Forest lands serve as the
habitat for wide variety of fauna and flora which provide support for lives on the earth planet. Forests in Nigeria
require adequate protection to enable people benefit maximally from the gifts of nature. This paper examined the
extent and effectiveness of measures for the conservation and management of forest lands and resources in Nigeria.
The data for this study were obtained primarily from both international and international legal frameworks. Journal
articles, text books, newspapers and the internet provide the secondary source of information. Conservation and
management   of forest lands and resources in Nigeria pre-date the colonial era in some of the southern states with
forests. Traditional means of protection by the designation of forests as sacred proved more potent than the use of
legal instruments. In effect today, conservation and management of forests are in the actual practice limited to
government  owned  parks, thus leaving natural forests open to assault.
Keywords:  Forests, conservation, deforestation, waterfowl, ecosystem etc.
DOI:  10.7176/JLPG/96-01
Publication date: April 30th 2020

1.  Introduction
Forest lands and resources play invaluable role in the existence of man on the earth planet. Forest lands and
resources are one of the features that make the earth planet unique among the planetary systems. Forest lands serve
as the habitation for species of plants, animals and microbes. Forest ecosystem, that is, the interconnectedness of
plants, animals and microbes with the environment ensure that the forests continue to serve as natural air filters as
well as water factories and source of raw materials for both orthodox and traditional medicine. Nigeria is richly
endowed  with abundant forest lands and resources which are located across both the northern and southern parts
of Nigeria respectively. There is, however, a marked difference between the forest lands in the northern part of
Nigeria and the forests in the southern part. The forest lands in the northern part are located within the savannah
and Sahel region with sparse timbre resources while the forest in the southern part is located within the lowland
rainforest areas with array of timbre resources. Forest lands in Nigeria can be classified as forest reserves, free
areas and conservation areas. The Forest Reserves are owned by  the state governments and managed  by the
Forestry Departments in the respective States. The permission of the government is required for the exploitation
of trees in the reserves. The Free Areas are forest lands that are not under the strict control or management of the
government.  Permission to harvest trees is also required in this area. The Conservation Areas include National
Parks, Game  Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
     Man  and animals depend on resources from lands for survival. These resources have been greatly depleted
by man  in the search for the basic necessities of lives viz food, clothing and shelter. Legal Instruments have been
put in place by governments for the conservation and management of forest lands and resources. There are also
traditional means of protecting and  conserving forest lands and  resources before the advent of  colonial
administration, one of which was the designation of some forests as sacred and by so doing entry into such forests
was  strictly restricted to certain people while harvesting of forest products was completely prohibited. The
governments  have over the years introduced fiscal measures such as the annual tree planting campaign designed
to reforest the environment. The extent at which the legal instruments and policies have assisted in the conservation
of forests is the goal of this paper. Part one of this paper is the introduction while part two examined the Forests
and patterns of degradation in Nigeria. The factors responsible for the degradation of forest lands are examined in
part three while the legal frameworks for the conservation and management of forest lands and resources are
discussed in part four. The reality of the conservation and management of forest lands and resources are discussed
in part five and the last part is the conclusion.
2.0 Forests and Patterns of Degradation in Nigeria
A Forest area is a large area of land with assorted trees, herbs, shrubs and all manner of vegetation and wildlife.
The total land area of Nigeria is estimated to be 923,768 square kilometres. The two vegetation belts in Nigeria
are the forests and the savannah. The forest lands in Nigeria are mainly located in the southern part of the country
and it is estimated that the forests are inhabited by 4715 species of high plants; 899 species of birds, 53 amphibians


1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most