The Political Economy of Forest Policy in Nigeria: Changing Trends

Nigeria’s forest policy is shifting from donor-driven agendas to a growing domestic conservation movement led by scientists, urban advocates, faith groups, and rural communities facing environmental degradation. While the sector suffers from resource shortages, it benefits from committed professionals. Decentralized governance creates varied state-level policies, ranging from conservation to active deforestation. Challenges like attention and capacity deficits are easier to address than entrenched interests in other sectors. Effective solutions require collaboration across global, national, and local scales to balance environmental protection with socio-economic priorities, signaling opportunities for transformative change.