A Critical Appraisal of the Legal Regime for Biodiversity Conservation in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria harbours a peculiar and an uncertain environmental situation taking into cognizance the desert encroachment in the North and the rise of sea level leading to flooding in the South, which calls for a well articulated, accelerated, and organized remedial action plan on the conservation of Biodiversity. Several species of fauna and flora which the country is naturally endowed with have been rendered extinct or are in danger of extinction as a consequence of economic growth and development. On the international scene the situation is not better with current trends like climate change which has greatly affected the distribution and extinction of species of flora and fauna, ecosystems as well as man and his environment. The earth surface which is full of a diversity of plants and animals currently estimated at about 1.7 million known species are yet greatly threatened by biodiversity loss, erosion, depletion of genes and global species constitute an important concern to national and international authorities. The objective of this paper is to examine the legal regimes on the conservation of biodiversity at the global level, equally Nigeria as a global player has domesticated these regimes into its national laws in a bid to ensure the conservation of biodiversity within the country. We are also going to examine the causes and effects of the loss of biodiversity, the relationship between biodiversity conservation and the fight against climate change. In this paper, judicial decisions, statutes, international treaties as well as official records on the conservation of biodiversity form the primary sources while secondary sources such as textbooks, journals, official proceedings, specialized publications and conference papers were equally utilized. The paper will be crowned with some recommendations proffered from the writers’ perspective and a conclusion.

Key words: Biodiversity; Conservation; Legal regime; Nigeria