Overview

The National Forest Policy, 2006, approved by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria, provides a comprehensive framework for sustainable forest management, conservation, and utilization of forest resources. The policy outlines the importance of forestry to the Nigerian economy, including contributions to GDP, employment, and rural livelihoods. It highlights the constitutional context, with land and forest resources under state control, and notes the decline in forest cover from 10% in the 1960s to about 6% in the 1990s. Key sections cover forest resources (natural forests, plantations), non-timber forest products, biodiversity conservation, fuelwood, forest industries, research, employment, and tourism. Factors responsible for forest decline include exploitation, deforestation, farming, population growth, settlements, infrastructure, fuelwood, fires, overgrazing, poor industrial exploitation, and weak institutional capacity. The policy replaces the 1988 version and is guided by principles of livelihoods, poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, partnership governance, legislation, international obligations (including carbon credits), and forest valuation. Policy objectives include sustainable forest management, community participation, private sector involvement, and priority areas such as forest reserve management, plantation establishment, agroforestry, model federal reserves, access to carbon credits, and forest valuation. Strategies address land tenure, economic incentives, benefit sharing, and community forestry, with emphasis on integrating local communities and private sector in forest management.

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