Nigeria, with an area of over 90 million hectares, has experienced significant tree cover loss over the past two decades. The latest incident report from Borno, Nigeria, indicates a new fire alert, adding to the country's environmental challenges. The tree cover extent in Nigeria, which stands at approximately 10 million hectares, has seen a net change in tree cover characterized by a loss of around 2.40 million hectares, a gain of about 928,000 hectares, and disturbances affecting over 1.10 million hectares. This translates to a net loss of nearly 1.50 million hectares, marking a negative change of over 6%.
Shifting agriculture has been identified as the primary driver of tree cover loss, responsible for a substantial portion of the total loss over the years. Urbanization also contributes significantly, though to a lesser extent. The cumulative effect of these losses has led to a considerable increase in gross emissions, with the most recent year showing emissions reaching over 70 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.
Explore country profileThe trend in Nigeria is concerning, with the highest recorded tree cover loss in 2017, amounting to over 171,000 hectares. While the country has seen some gains in tree cover, the overall trajectory points to a continued decrease, underscoring the need for attention to the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the region.
