By Dr. Joseph Onoja
At independence in 1960, Nigeria inherited more than a flag, a new constitution and the promise of nationhood. We inherited forests and wetlands, rivers and mangroves, savannahs and mountains, coastlines and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. We inherited a natural heritage shaped over thousands of years. At 66, the question is simple: what are we doing with that inheritance?
Nigeria remains one of Africa’s biologically rich countries, home to nearly 8,000 plant species and more than 22,000 animal species. From the Cross River forests to the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and the mangroves of the Niger Delta, these ecosystems support far more than wildlife. They provide food, water, livelihoods and climate protection, while underpinning the wellbeing of millions of Nigerians. Yet this natural wealth is disappearing at an alarming rate…
An Inheritance Under Pressure
Nigeria has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, with over 90% of its original forest cover already lost. Habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, unsustainable resource extraction and illegal wildlife trade continue to place pressure on ecosystems and species. The consequences are not confined to remote forests or conservation areas. When forests disappear, water systems are affected. When wetlands degrade, communities become more vulnerable to flooding and declining livelihoods. When wildlife disappears, ecosystems lose important functions that people often take for granted.
Albeit Nigeria’s conservation story is not simply a story of loss. There has been progress. There are people, institutions, communities and partnerships working to protect what remains and restore what has been degraded. The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), for instance, has spent more than four decades building a conservation movement around the idea that protecting nature must ultimately serve both people and the environment.
*Where Hope Takes Root*
The results offer a glimpse of what sustained conservation action can achieve. Between 2019 and 2025, NCF and its partners planted more than 2.88 million trees across different landscapes in Nigeria, including 265,561 trees in 2025 alone. In the same year, 300 hectares of degraded landscapes were restored, conservation action contributed to the protection of 58 endangered faunal species which include waterbirds, vultures, pangolins, elephants, and sea turtles, and 119 communities were engaged in conservation activities.
The numbers matter. But what lies behind them matters even more. A tree planted is a contribution to restoring a landscape. A community engaged is an opportunity to build local ownership of conservation. A species protected is one more thread preserved in the web of life. And when 515 schools and more than 15,000 students are reached through environmental education, conservation begins to move beyond projects and into the consciousness of the next generation.
That is important because conservation cannot succeed as an activity carried out by a few organisations on behalf of everyone else. It must become part of how we think about development. Nigeria’s experience increasingly points in that direction.
Across its programmes, NCF is combining ecosystem restoration with livelihoods, environmental education with youth leadership, biodiversity protection with policy advocacy, and conservation with partnerships involving communities, government, businesses and development organisations. The Green Recovery Nigeria Programme, for example, is built around the long-term ambition of helping restore Nigeria’s forest cover to 25 percent by 2047. There are also signs of progress at the policy level.
From Commitment to Action
The Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill has passed both chambers of the National Assembly and, as of 2026, awaits presidential assent. The proposed legislation would strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework for combating wildlife crime, including stronger penalties and enhanced enforcement powers. Its passage through the legislature is an important step, but conservation ultimately depends on what happens beyond legislation: effective implementation, enforcement, financing and coordination. That is where the unfinished business lies.
The Work Ahead
Nigeria needs stronger protection for its remaining forests, better management of critical habitats, sustained investment in restoration and more effective action against illegal wildlife trade. The country also needs to ensure that biodiversity commitments translate from national plans into action in the landscapes and communities where nature is under pressure.
At 66, Nigeria’s conservation story should neither be one of despair nor complacency. It should be a story of responsibility. The forests we still have are part of our national inheritance. So are the rivers, wetlands, mangroves, wildlife and the ecological systems that sustain our communities. Their protection should be understood not as a competing priority to development, but as one of the foundations upon which lasting development depends.
Perhaps, then, one measure of Nigeria’s progress should be what we are able to preserve while we build. The forests we keep standing. The land we restore. The species we prevent from extinction. The communities we empower. The young Nigerians we inspire to become custodians of the natural world. The question is not only what we inherited but what we will leave behind.
Joseph Onoja, PhD, is the Director-General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
