Foundation Seeks Collective Action Against Nigeria’s Environmental Crisis

The African Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation has called on government institutions, the private sector, and civil society groups to collaborate to address Nigeria’s worsening environmental degradation.

The call was made at the 2025 World Ecology Day, as the foundation highlighted rising concerns over deforestation, desertification and biodiversity loss across the country. ANI Foundation, an African-led not-for-profit organisation, works with communities and government agencies to protect biodiversity while promoting local economic development through protected area management.

Commenting on the initiative, the executive director of ANI Foundation, Tunde Morakinyo, said environmental protection requires coordinated efforts, community participation and education. He said the foundation’s interventions include reforestation, youth-led conservation, women empowerment programmes and the establishment of Savings and Loan Groups in communities around Gashaka Gumti and Okomu National Parks, in partnership with the National Park Service.

Morakinyo also cited the vaccination of over 150,000 cattle in communities around Gashaka Gumti National Park in Taraba and Adamawa states, bee-keeping projects involving more than 50 farmers, and women-focused initiatives that have led to the annual Women’s Trade Fair and the construction of a Women’s Centre in Toungo, with another facility in Gashaka nearing completion.

Nigeria is facing significant environmental challenges, including deforestation in the south and desertification in the north. Data from the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) indicate that the country loses about 400,000 hectares of forest annually, while the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that over 35 per cent of Nigeria’s land is threatened by desertification.

ANI Foundation urged state governments to strengthen enforcement of environmental laws against illegal logging, mining and pollution, while investing in reforestation, sustainable pastoral practices and climate-smart agriculture. The foundation also called for the integration of environmental protection into local development planning.

Morakinyo said scaling up collaborative models between government, communities and development partners would help Nigeria build a more resilient and sustainable environment.