Challenges of Deforestation in Nigeria and the Millennium Development Goals

摘要

Industrial growth in developing countries, often depend on the natural resources endowment, as well as other factors including technology and power. Apart from petroleum resources, Nigeria also has abundant forest resources. Given also the eco-tourism potentials of tropical rain forests (TRFs), efforts toward their effective management, have in recent times reached an unprecedented proportion in Nigeria. Invariably, this great concern is based on the fact that TRFs (selvas) are also of very inestimable value, because of their complex ecosystems and distinctively high biodiversity. Their inestimable values in promoting sustainable livelihood, industrial raw materials availability, food security, medicine and health care researches, cannot be over emphasized, especially in the march towards poverty and hunger eradication, finding solutions to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs ) including HIV/AIDS, and more effective Malaria drugs. These potentials are interwoven with most of the stated Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Thus the objectives of this paper include the provision of an integrated insight into the strategies viable for the effective management of the wide varieties of Nigeria's natural vegetations, especially the TRFs, and to identify the implications for the achievement of the MDGs. Consequently, this paper examined the causes and consequences of deforestation in Nigeria. The paper also proffered solutions to identified problems.