INTRODUCTION
Forestry Outlook Study for Africa (FOSA) is an initiative led by FAO and carried out in partnership with all African nations, the African Development Bank, the European Commission, regional and sub-regional inter-governmental organisations, the World Bank and others.
It is a process for analysing the future potential of the forestry sector to contribute to the well being of African citizens through its economic, social and environmental functions. FOSA will analyse the status, trends and driving forces shaping African Forestry, provide a region-wide vision of the sector to the year 2020 and identify policies, programmes and investment options that will help move the sector forward.
The components of FOSA include:
Thematic Studies: Consultants in the sub-regions to cover both the humid and dry forest zones will carry out a series of thematic studies. These thematic studies will rely heavily on information from the various countries that constitute the sub-region and will form the bases of the regional report.
Country Outlook Paper: Each country is expected to produce a country outlook paper by September, 2000. This paper will be a critical input into the regional out-look study. Like the regional Outlook Study the Country Paper will analyse the status, trends and driving forces shaping forestry in the country. The basic principle should involve an inter-sectoral/inter-disciplinary approach involving all stake-holders and should be process oriented and country driven.
This paper, the Nigerian Forestry Outlook Study was prepared by the Focal Point, Dr. R.O. Aruofor (Chief Forest Officer) and has been reviewed by the Senior Management Committee of the Federal Department of Forestry, headed by the Director of Forestry Mr. Z. O. Adesiyan.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria occupies a total area of 923,768 km2 between latitudes 4o15’N (the Southern tip of the Niger delta on the Atlantic Ocean) and 13o55’N (the North-Western frontier with Niger) and between longitudes 2o45’E (the Southern frontier with Benin) and 14o40’E (the Northern frontier with Cameroon).
Most of Nigeria has a tropical climate with warm temperatures throughout the year. The North is generally hotter and drier than the South. The average annual temperature in the north is about 29oC, (daily temperatures may rise above 38oC). The average annual temperature in the South is about 27oC.
Precipitation is greatest in the South. The coastal areas average about 3800 mm per year, while parts of the north receive only about 650mm. The rainy season lasts from April to October in most parts of Nigeria, though the duration may be longer in the South.
Nigeria supports a wide range of vegetation, which is determined by climate, in particular by the rainfall, and the severity of the dry season. Farming, fires and soil also profoundly affect it. Basically, the vegetation is comprised of:
The Forest zone (mangrove forest and coastal vegetation, freshwater swamp forest, and lowland rain forest), occupying a belt of 50 to 250 km wide along the coast corresponding to rainfall generally higher than 1600 mm, exceeding 2500 mm in the delta and along the eastern coast;
The derived Savannah zone with a rainfall 1150 to 1500 mm and a dry season of some 3 month, bordering the forest zone in the north.
The semi-deciduous Guinea Savannah zones including:
The Southern Guinea zone (1150 to 1500 mm, 4 to 5 months dry season);
The Northern Guinea zone (1000 to 1250 mm, 5 to 6 months dry seasons);
The Sudan zone (500 to 1500 mm, 5 to 7 months dry season); and
The dry Sahel zone (250 to 500 mm, 7 to 8 months dry season).
Nigeria is Africa’s largest wood producer with an annual harvest estimated in 1998, of more than 100 million cubic meters. In order to prevent the total depletion of Nigeria’s forest resources, the Government of Nigeria has set aside 96,000 km2 of forest, about 10% of Nigeria’s total land area as forest reserves. Of these reserves which are held in trust for the Local communities by the state Governments, about 76,000 km2 i.e. 75% are located in the Savannah zone and 20,000 km2 i.e. 25%, in the High Forest zone. The Savannah forests produce fuel-wood and poles mainly and contribute very little to the supply of saw logs which is solely produced by the High Forest zone.
Nigeria used to be a major exporter of timber resources with industrial round wood export in 1964 at 781,200 m3 and a corresponding value of US$ 36.10 million. This dropped to 26,900 m3 in 1976. This declining performance of the Forest Sector and the observed expansion of domestic production eventually signalled the need to curtail export and led to a ban on export of wood and wood products in 1976.
At present Nigeria does not export wood and wood products due to high supply and demand gap being experienced at home. The Timber Export Promotion Decree No 1 of 1998 prohibits the export of timber (whether processed or not) and wood in the rough form, excluding furniture, furniture components and species of Gmelina arborea in any form.
The picture as experienced in 1976 has not improved and the vegetation had continued to deteriorate. Today, Nigeria is not only a net importer of wood, but the situation of the forest estate and the environment is very precarious, as can be inferred below.
The present state of the Nigerian environment may be summarised as follows:
The forest estate which is only about 10 million hectares (10% of total land area of Nigeria) is declining at a rate of 3.5% annually due to encroachments, excisions and outright de-reservations. The Forestry component of the National Agricultural policy prescribes an increase from its present level of 10% of total land area to 20% but this has been elusive.
It is estimated that the Sahara desert is encroaching southwards at a rate of about 1 km per year.
The most important factor contributing to environmental degradation of the country is our un-coordinated land use policy.
It is evident that forests are being displaced and depleted by other forms of land-use such as agriculture, grazing and water management leading to formation of deserts, bare surfaces and general environmental degradation.
Land under agricultural cultivation is increasing at an average rate of 554,657 ha per annum while land under high forest is diminishing at a rate of 105,865 hectares per annum. This land use pattern is exacerbated by drought, forest fires, overgrazing and flooding which lead to severe environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, diminished forest productivity etc.
