BIODIVERSITY: ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE NIGERIAN CRISES / current concerns 2-015

 

30 September 2025 / current concerns 2-015

 

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BIODIVERSITY: ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE NIGERIAN  CRISES

 

-          by Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje, FAHOA

 +2348034725905 (WhatsApp) / EMAIL: druzoadirieje2015@gmail.com

 CEO/Programmes Director, Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) – CSOs Network and Think-tank

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BACKGROUND 

Nigeria is a land of profound ecological richness. From the freshwater swamps and mangroves of the Niger Delta to the rainforests of Cross River, the savannas of the North, and the wetlands of Hadejia-Nguru, the country is home to many unique species and ecosystems. But this living heritage is under grave threat. Biodiversity loss in Nigeria is accelerating, with serious consequences for food security, human health, climate resilience, livelihoods, and national development. To effectively stem the tide, we must look beyond surface symptoms and confront the root causes of this crisis.

 

UNDERSTANDING WHAT LIES BENEATH: KEY DRIVERS OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Through research and field observations, several interlinked social, economic, political, and environmental causes emerge.

 

1. Population Pressure and Urban Expansion

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with rapid growth exerting intense pressure on land and natural resources. Urban areas expand into wetlands, forests, and other ecologically sensitive regions, often with minimal planning or regulation. Rural communities, facing economic pressures, also clear forests for farming and fuelwood, further fragmenting and degrading habitats. The Eleyele wetland in Ibadan, for example, has seen marked degradation linked to urbanization, agricultural encroachment, and changes in land use. publications.funaab.edu.ng

 

2. Overexploitation and Unsustainable Resource Use

Overhunting (especially for bushmeat), unsustainable fishing practices, excessive logging, and non-timber forest product extraction all contribute substantially to biodiversity decline. Many species are threatened because of overuse, both for subsistence and commercial trade. The demand for high-value woods, endangered wildlife, medicinal plants, etc., is straining ecosystems.

 

3. Poor Land Use Planning and Unclear Tenure Rights

Competing land uses—agribusiness, urban development, infrastructure, grazing—compete with habitat conservation. When land tenure is insecure or ambiguous, local communities have limited incentive to conserve natural environments; instead, exploitation becomes a safer short-term strategy. Policies often shift control upwards—state or federal—without involving traditional or local stewards, exacerbating conflicts and degradation.

 

4. Weak Governance, Enforcement and Legal Frameworks

Nigeria has multiple laws, policies, and international commitments addressing biodiversity, but many are outdated, poorly enforced, or suffer from overlapping mandates among agencies. Corruption, insufficient funding, and lack of technical capacity undermine implementation. As a result, illegal logging, poaching, land encroachment, pollution, and habitat destruction persist. Constructive

 

5. Pollution, Industrial and Oil Sector Damage

The Niger Delta stands out as one of the worst-hit areas. Oil spills, gas flaring, pipeline leaks, and pollution of soil, water and air degrade mangroves, freshwater swamps, and coastal ecosystems. These not only destroy habitat but also disrupt local livelihoods—fishing and small-scale agriculture—and poison human populations.

 

6. Climate Change and Environmental Degradation

Changing rainfall patterns, droughts, floods, rising temperatures, desertification, and sea level rise are already altering Nigeria’s landscapes. These forces stress ecosystems, especially those already weakened by habitat loss or pollution, reducing their resilience. For instance, wetland loss is aggravated both by human encroachment and shifts in hydrology linked to climate change.

 

7. Lack of Data, Awareness, and Inclusion

Effective conservation depends on knowing what exists, where it exists, how species are faring, and what pressures are increasing. In many parts of Nigeria, data is sparse, outdated, or not shared. Local communities, media, and grassroots actors often lack awareness of the value of biodiversity, the threats, or ways to participate. Exclusion of indigenous knowledge and community voices weakens conservation efforts.

 

PATHWAYS TO ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES

 

To reverse the trends, the following multi-pronged, systemic strategies are essential

 

1. Strengthen Legal Frameworks and Governance

a. Update and harmonize laws related to biodiversity, land use, pollution, protected areas, and tenure rights.

b. Empower environmental agencies with adequate funding, technical capacity, and independence to enforce laws.

c. Increase accountability, transparency, and address corruption where it undermines enforcement.

Roles among federal, state, and local levels must be clarified to ensure coherence.

 

2. Secure Land Tenure and Promote Community Stewardship

a. Recognize and formalize community and traditional land rights. When people feel ownership and responsibility, they are more likely to protect ecosystems.

b. Use participatory land-use planning that balances human needs (housing, agriculture, infrastructure) with ecological protection (buffer zones, corridors, protected areas).

c. Support community-based conservation and co-management schemes.

 

3. Promote Sustainable Livelihoods and Incentives for Conservation

a. Develop alternatives to destructive practices: agroforestry, sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products, eco-tourism, regenerative agriculture.

b. Support smallholders with training, inputs, and access to markets that reward sustainability.

c. Introduce payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes or benefit sharing so communities gain direct rewards for maintaining healthy ecosystems.

 

4. Address Pollution and Industrial Impacts

a. Ensure strict environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for all industrial, agricultural, and oil sector projects.

b. Enforce standards and penalties for spills, pollutants, and habitat destruction.

c. Promote clean technologies, better waste management, reduction of gas flaring, restoration of degraded lands and mangroves.

 

5. Integrate Climate Change Strategies

a. Ecosystem restoration (mangroves, wetlands, forests) both to recover biodiversity and serve as carbon sinks.

b. Adaptation planning that reduces vulnerability of both ecosystems and human communities to climate-driven changes (e.g. flood control, resilient agriculture).

c. Link biodiversity conservation with Nigeria’s commitments under global climate and biodiversity frameworks (Paris Agreement, Kunming-Montreal, etc.).

 

6. Enhance Data, Research, Education and Participation

a. Invest in biodiversity monitoring systems: mapping, species inventories, population tracking.

b. Support research institutions, universities, NGOs, and citizen science to fill knowledge gaps.

c. Promote environmental education from school level to community awareness campaigns.

d. Involve indigenous peoples, local communities, women, and youth in planning and implementation.

 

CONCLUSION: A CALL TO COLLECTIVE ACTION

 

Nigeria has made policy commitments—such as proclaiming “zero biodiversity loss by 2030” and aligning national strategies with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. These are important milestones. Yet the real test lies in how much we tackle the underlying causes: the pressures of population, poverty, governance weaknesses, industrial pollution, climate change, and the marginalization of local voices. At Afrihealth Optonet Association, we believe that biodiversity is deeply connected to human health. Clean water, healthy food, stable climate, disease regulation, and medicinal plants all depend on functioning ecosystems. As we address public health in Nigeria, we must also see biodiversity protection as a critical front of intervention. Action must be long-term, well-funded, interdisciplinary, and participatory. Government at all levels, civil society, private sector, researchers, international partners, and communities must collaborate. If we act decisively now to address the root causes, Nigeria can safeguard its natural heritage, not simply to avoid extinction of species, but to ensure well-being, stability, and prosperity for ourselves and generations to come.

 

 

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is an environmental health researcher with Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), focused on linking ecosystem health and human well-being in Nigeria. He is a global health practitioner, development expert, and civil society leader whose work sits at the critical nexus of biodiversity, health, and climate change. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of AHOA, a pan-African civil society network advancing sustainable development through advocacy, policy dialogue, and grassroots interventions. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Adirieje has championed the understanding that biodiversity is essential for human health - supporting food security, disease regulation, clean water, and resilient livelihoods. His leadership promotes integrated approaches that address environmental degradation, climate change, and poverty simultaneously. Through AHOA, he leads multi-country initiatives on climate change, ecosystem restoration, renewable energy, universal health coverage, and climate-smart agriculture, while advocating for stronger governance and inclusive community participation. At national, regional, and global levels, Dr. Adirieje engages with governments, international organizations, and civil society to drive policies linking health and environment. His work underscores that safeguarding biodiversity is not only an ecological necessity but also a cornerstone of global health and sustainable development in Africa and the Global South.