An analysis of Nigeria's domestic application of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Abstract

While biodiversity has played a major role in sustaining human existence on earth, the world has witnessed the decline of these biological resources over the last century, with several species of flora and fauna being driven into extinction while others are either endangered or vulnerable. The international community, through the platform of the United Nations, convened the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 to address the numerous challenges faced by the environment, including biodiversity loss. During the summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity was one of the international instruments opened for signature. The Convention was signed by Nigeria and subsequently ratified in 1994. However, to date, Nigeria has not domesticated the Convention into its laws. In order to determine to what extent the Convention is being implemented in Nigeria, this study examines the activities of the authorities which conform to the strategies incorporated in the articles of the Convention. While the analysis shows that Nigeria has taken some actions which substantially comply with some of the provisions of the Convention, it demonstrates that it has failed to repeat this in relation to other provisions. The findings also show that in instances where there is compliance, for example through the promulgation of policies and establishment of facilities for conservation, fundamental problems such as lack of proper enforcement and poor management culture are still evident. This study makes valuable recommendations for improving Nigeria’s compliance with the objectives of the Convention, by identifying biodiversity conservation activities taking place in other jurisdictions, especially South Africa.