The Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Professor Shadrach Olufemi Akindele, has called for urgent, coordinated and evidence-based action to protect Nigeria’s forests, warning that the country cannot afford to lose the forest resources that sustain its future.
Professor Akindele made the call while delivering a keynote address on the state of Nigeria’s forests at the International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS) 2026, a major global two-week gathering of forestry students under the aegis of the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA). Delegates of IFSS were at Redeemer’s University from Saturday, August 22, to Tuesday, August 25.
In his address, Prof. Akindele stressed that forests should no longer be regarded merely as environmental assets but as critical infrastructure for food, water, climate security, biodiversity and livelihoods.
According to him, Nigeria still possesses a significant forest asset, with the latest Forest Resources Assessment putting the country’s forest area at 17.13 million hectares, representing 18.5 per cent of the national land area as of 2025. However, he expressed concern over the persistent decline in forest cover, describing Nigeria as a country with ‘shrinking, fragmented and unevenly governed forest assets’.
Professor Akindele, a professor of forest biometrics, noted that Nigeria’s forest area declined by 20.6 per cent between 1990 and 2025, describing the continuous downward trend as particularly dangerous. He further disclosed that Global Forest Watch estimated about 240,000 hectares of natural forest loss in Nigeria in 2025 alone, while approximately 1.1 million hectares of forest were lost between 2021 and 2025.
He identified permanent agriculture as the dominant driver of deforestation in the country, noting that forest conservation cannot succeed through forest policy alone. Rather, he said, forestry must be connected with agriculture, energy, infrastructure, mining, land tenure and local livelihoods.
‘Forest outcomes are shaped by agriculture, energy, infrastructure, mining, land tenure, and local livelihoods. So as foresters, if we are to succeed, we must be willing and ready to talk with others, other stakeholders, other land users so that we can all come to terms,’ he stated.
Addressing young forestry professionals, Professor Akindele urged them to take ownership of Nigeria’s forest future rather than inherit the country’s existing forest crisis.
‘Do not inherit the forest crisis, and this is a special appeal to you as young foresters. Rather, inherit the responsibility to solve it,’ he said.
He urged them to make three commitments: ‘Measure what is happening, defend what cannot be replaced, and restore what can be renewed. And make sure that restoration pays.’
Professor Akindele concluded by emphasising the interconnectedness of science, society, markets and environmental stewardship in securing Nigeria’s forests for generations to come.
‘Nigeria’s forest future will be built by people who can connect science, society, markets and stewardship. Let us prepare the present so that Nigeria’s forest can sustain the future. A forest future is a human choice,’ he declared.
Professor Akindele also highlighted governance as a critical dimension of Nigeria’s forest challenge. He emphasised that merely designating land as a forest reserve does not guarantee its protection, noting that effective conservation requires adequate staffing, financing, community legitimacy, ecological monitoring, enforcement and credible benefits for local communities.
He cited community participation in Cross River State as an example of how local communities could become active partners in forest protection. According to him, a model that enabled communities to benefit from government revenue generated from legally harvested timber encouraged residents to take responsibility for safeguarding the forests against illegal activities.
The Vice-Chancellor further stressed the importance of technology in improving forest management and monitoring. He noted that advances in drones, satellite imagery, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mobile applications were making forest measurement more accessible and efficient, particularly in developing countries where conventional forestry equipment can be prohibitively expensive.
However, he cautioned that data collection alone would not solve Nigeria’s forest crisis.
‘Measurement is only valuable when it leads to change in behaviour. When it leads to change in decisions. It’s not enough to just have all these statistics and display the data and say, we have this, we have this,’ he said, stressing the need for forest data to influence policy and practical decision-making.
Professor Akindele also advocated a more strategic approach to forest restoration, warning that planting trees should not be equated with restoring forests. He called for restoration programmes to consider watershed, soil, climate, biodiversity and livelihood objectives, with emphasis on planting appropriate native species and establishing effective governance structures.
He further urged stakeholders to recognise the security dimension of forest management, noting that some forest areas have increasingly become hideouts for criminal elements. He emphasised the importance of local knowledge when planning forestry interventions, particularly in areas where security conditions could compromise field operations.
Looking ahead, Professor Akindele outlined eight priority areas for Nigeria’s forest agenda, including protecting the country’s remaining intact forests, making land-use planning effective, institutionalising forest monitoring, professionalising enforcement, securing community participation, shifting restoration towards measurable outcomes, modernising the forest economy and investing in the next generation.
He equally called for a transformation in the training and career outlook of young forestry graduates, saying the sector needs professionals who can combine traditional forestry knowledge with data science, remote sensing, GIS, artificial intelligence, economics, climate science, restoration ecology, governance, community enterprise and communication.