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Making the Case for Reforms of Forestry Policy and Law: Lessons and Experiences from Nigeria

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development incorporates 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 15 (SDG 15) focuses on terrestrial ecosystems. Regarding forests, it sets targets requiring signatories to promote the implementation of the sustainable management of all types of forests by 2020 and further mobilize significant resources from all sources to achieve sustainable forest management. The United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017 – 2030 advances the vision of SDG 15. Nigeria’s high demographic growth rate has led to the surging demand for land to support settlements and farming. Coupled with extensive illegal or uncontrolled logging, the annual forest net loss of 5% is one of the highest rates globally in percentage terms. This paper is a critical analysis of the policy-law interface of the forestry sector in Nigeria. It examines the country’s trajectory or state of preparedness for sustainable forest management, and it concludes that forestry policy and law in Nigeria must undergo urgent reforms so that the forest commitments such as those under SDG 15 and other regional and global instruments can be ultimately achieved.