TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: Deforestation rates tables and charts

Nigeria Forest Information and Data

According to the U.N. FAO, 9.9% or about 9,041,000 ha of Nigeria is forested, according to FAO. Nigeria had 382,000 ha of planted forest.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Nigeria lost an average of 409,650 ha or 2.38% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Nigeria lost 47.5% of its forest cover, or around 8,193,000 ha.

Nigeria's forests contain 1,085 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Nigeria has some 1417 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 1.2% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 3.5% are threatened. Nigeria is home to at least 4715 species of vascular plants, of which 4.3% are endemic. 3.6% of Nigeria is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

2011 Update

In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in PNAS with
new carbon stock estimates for global tropical forests.

Forest definition (canopy cover %) 10% tree cover 25% tree cover 30% tree cover
Forest Area (M ha) 18 7 5
Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C) 827 450 386
Belowground forest carbon (Mt C) 245 129 109
Total forest carbon (Mt C) 1,072 579 495
Average Carbon Density (t C/ha) 61 83 91
M=million, t=metric tons; all figures are mean carbon stock values

Nigeria Environmental profile

The following contains data relating to forest cover in Nigeria

Previous version of this profile (2009)

SECTIONS:

Forest Cover | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Deforestation | Primary forest | Planted forest | Forest designation | Forest ownership | Growing stock | Carbon stock | Disturbances affecting forest land | Removals | Removals Value | Employment | Forest policy | Human resources | Revenue | Agreements | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books










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Nigeria: Forest Cover, 2010
Total Land Area (1000 ha) 91077
Total Forest Area (1000 ha) 9041
Percent Forest Cover 10
Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) 0
Primary Forest, % total forest 0
Other wooded land (1000 ha) 4088
Percent other wooded land 4




Nigeria: Breakdown of forest types, 2010
Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 0 0
Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 8659 96
Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 382 4


Nigeria: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha)
1990 2000 2005 2010
17234 13137 11089 9041
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
-410 -410 -410
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
-2.68 -3.33 -4.00


Nigeria: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha)
1990 2000 2005 2010
16983 12821 10740 8659
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
-416 -416 -416
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
-2.5 -2.45 -3.25


Nigeria: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha)
1990 2000 2005 2010
1556 736 326 n.s.
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
-82 -82 -65
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
-7.21 -15.03 -


Nigeria: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha)
1990 2000 2005 2010
251 316 349 382
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
7 7 7
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation
1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010
2.33 2.01 1.82


Nigeria: Primary designated function (percent)
Production Protection of soil and water Conservation of biodiversity Social services Multiple use Other None or unknown
29 0 28 0 0 0 43


Nigeria: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
OWNERSHIP PATTERN
Public ownership Private ownership Other
100 0 0


PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
Individuals Business entities and institutions Local, indigenous and tribal communities
- - -


HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS
Public administration Individuals Business entities and Institutions Communities Other
- - - - -
Nigeria: Growing stock in forest
GROWING STOCK IN FOREST
Total
(million m3)
Per hectare
(m3)
Coniferous
(million m3)
Broadleaved
(million m3)
% commercial species
1161 128 0 1161 14
GROWING STOCK IN FOREST
Total (million m3) Per hectare (m3) Coniferous (million m3) Broadleaved (million m3) % commercial species
- -


Nigeria: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(million metric tons)
1990 2000 2005 2010
2016 1550 1317 1085
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(per hectare in tons)
2000
120
ANNUAL CHANGE
(1 000 t/yr)
1990 2000 2005 2010
-47 -47 -46
ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE
(t/ha/yr)
1990 2000 2005 2010
n.s. n.s. n.s.


Nigeria: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005
FOREST FIRE
1000 ha % wild fire (not managed burn)
- -


EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE
Insects Diseases Other biotic agents Abiotic factors Total (excluding fire) % of 2005 forest area
- - - - - -


Nigeria: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005
INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark)
1990 2000 2005 percent of which from forest 2005
9321 10831 10831 100
WOODFUEL
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark)
1990 2000 2005 percent of which from forest 2005
59095 68172 70427 100


Nigeria: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005
Value of removals
(million US$)
Value per ha forest
(US$)
Industrial roundwood Woodfuel NWFP Total
124 456 - - -


Nigeria: Employment in forestry 1990-2005
TOTAL
(1000 full-time employees)
1990 2000 2005
11 11 12
IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY
(1000 full-time employees)
1990 2000 2005
9 10 10
IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION
(1000 full-time employees)
1990 2000 2005
1 1 2


Nigeria: Forest policy and legal framework 2008
National forest policy (year): Yes (2006)
Sub-national forest policy: No
National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2002) Under revision
National forest law (year): No national forest law (-) Sub-national forest law: Yes

Nigeria: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008
2000 2005 2008
# % female # % female # % female
10741 8 11200 9 13120 9


Nigeria: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005
Forest revenue Public expenditure (1000 US$)
Domestic funding External funding Total
(1000 US$) Operational expenditure Transfer payments Operational expenditure Transfer payments Operational expenditure Transfer payments
- 4 0 - - 4 0


Nigeria: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010
  • CbD:
  • UNFCCC:
  • Kyoto Protocol:
  • UNCCD:
  • ITTA:
  • CITeS:
  • Ramsar:
  • World Heritage Convention:
  • NlbI: [an error occurred while processing this directive] Nigeria: Environment
    Environment - current issues soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization
    Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
    signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
    Natural hazards periodic droughts; flooding


    Nigeria: Land use / Resources
    Land use (%) arable land: 31.29%
    permanent crops: 2.96%
    other: 65.75% (2001)
    Natural resources natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land


    Nigeria: Economy
    Economy - overview: Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003 the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. GDP rose strongly in 2005, based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for an historic debt relief deal that by March 2006 should eliminate $30 billion worth of Nigeria's total $36 billion external debt. The deal first requires that Nigeria repay roughly $12 billion in arrears to its bilateral creditors. Nigeria would then be allowed to buyback its remaining debt stock at a discount. The deal commits Nigeria more intensified IMF reviews.
    GDP - per capita $1,000 (2005 est.)
    GDP - real growth rate (%) 5.2% (2005 est.)
    Agriculture - products cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish
    GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: 26.8%, industry: 48.8%, services: 24.4% (2005 est.)
    Industries crude oil, coal, tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair
    Economic aid - recipient IMF $250 million (1998)
    Debt - external $37.49 billion (2005 est.)
    Population below poverty line (%) 60% (2000 est.)
    Labor force - by occupation (%) agriculture 70%, industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.)


    Nigeria: Population / Demographics
    Population (July 2005) 128,771,988
    Population growth rate (%) (2005) 2.37%
    Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 141.4
    Percent rural (2003) 53.3%
    Median age (years) total: 18.63 years
    Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 5.53 (2005 est.)
    Ethnic groups (%) Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%


    Largest Cities in Nigeria

    Cities and urban areas in Nigeria with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.

    City Country City Population Urban Area Population
    Lagos Nigeria 8029200 9123200
    Kano Nigeria 3248700 3519500
    Ibadan Nigeria 3078400 3670400
    Kaduna Nigeria 1458900 1458900
    Port Harcourt Nigeria 1053900 1190600
    Benin Nigeria 1051600 1051600
    Maiduguri Nigeria 971700 971700
    Zaria Nigeria 898900 898900
    Aba Nigeria 784500 899100
    Ilorin Nigeria 756400 756400
    Jos Nigeria 742100 742100
    Ogbomosho Nigeria 726300 985600
    Oyo Nigeria 620400 620400
    Enugu Nigeria 593300 662800
    Abeokuta Nigeria 529700 698100
    Onitsha Nigeria 509500 1001000
    Warri Nigeria 500900 500900
    Sokoto Nigeria 500500 500500
    Okene Nigeria 444900 444900
    Calabar Nigeria 431200 431200
    Oshogbo Nigeria 421000 1309900
    Katsina Nigeria 387000 387000
    Akure Nigeria 369700 369700
    Ife Nigeria 313400 313400
    Bauchi Nigeria 291600 291600
    Iseyin Nigeria 286700 286700
    Minna Nigeria 270600 270600
    Makurdi Nigeria 249000 249000
    Owo Nigeria 243000 243000
    Ado Nigeria 241200 523300
    Ilesha Nigeria 233900 561200
    Gombe Nigeria 230900 230900
    Umuahia Nigeria 230800 230800
    Ondo Nigeria 225800 225800
    Damaturu Nigeria 223000 223000
    Jimeta Nigeria 218400 218400
    Ikot Ekpene Nigeria 209400 209400
    Gusau Nigeria 201200 201200
    Mubi Nigeria 198700 198700
    Shagamu Nigeria 191500 191500
    Owerri Nigeria 187600 187600
    Ugep Nigeria 187000 187000
    Ijebu Ode Nigeria 186700 186700
    Ise Nigeria 167100 167100
    Gboko Nigeria 166400 166400
    Ilawe Nigeria 160700 160700
    Ikare Nigeria 160600 160600
    Abuja Nigeria 159900 565100
    Bida Nigeria 159100 159100
    Okpoko Nigeria 152900 152900
    Awka Nigeria 152300 152300
    Sapele Nigeria 151000 151000
    Ila Nigeria 150700 150700
    Shaki Nigeria 150300 150300
    Ijero Nigeria 147300 147300
    Otukpo Nigeria 136800 136800
    Kishi Nigeria 130800 130800
    Bugama Nigeria 124200 124200
    Funtua Nigeria 122500 122500
    Abakaliki Nigeria 121700 121700
    Gbongan Nigeria 117300 117300
    Lafia Nigeria 115500 115500
    Igboho Nigeria 115000 115000
    Amaigbo Nigeria 111000 111000
    Gashua Nigeria 109600 109600
    Offa Nigeria 105700 105700
    Jalingo Nigeria 103600 103600
    Bama Nigeria 102800 102800
    Uyo Nigeria 102400 102400
    Uromi Nigeria 101400 101400
    Nsukka Nigeria 100700 100700
    Okigwe Nigeria 100700 100700
    Modakeke Nigeria 100500 100500


    Nigeria: Infrastructure
    Telephones - main lines in use 853,100 (2003)
    Telephones - mobile cellular 3,149,500 (2003)
    Roadways (km) total: 194,394 km
    paved: 60,068 km (including 1,194 km of expressways)
    unpaved: 134,326 km (1999 est.)


    Nigeria: Health
    Life expectancy at birth (years) total population: 46.74 years
    male: 46.21 years
    female: 47.29 years (2005 est.)
    Infant mortality rate 98.8 deaths/1,000 live births
    HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) 5.4% (2003 est.)
    Major infectious diseases degree of risk: very high
    food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
    vectorborne disease: malaria
    respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
    aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever (2004)

    Nigeria : References & Data Sources
     Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
     Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
     Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
     Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
     RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
     World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
     The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
     Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
     With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com



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