Desertification is one of the environmental problems affecting most of the northern States of Nigeria. This phenomenon exists because of population pressure, overgrazing and the continuous exploitation of marginal lands in the dry ecological regions of the country. Many programs/projects have been initiated in the past and some are still been implemented to fight desertification in the country. These programs/projects had limited impact in the affected areas, evidence by the continued encroachment of the desert southward and steady destruction of the natural habitat in the arid zone. If this trend continuous, Nigeria will hardly meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets 1, 2 and 7. Community participation, therefore, is vital in ensuring enforcement of forest regulations thereby, leading to the sustainability of forest projects.
Mohammed et al. (Thu,) studied this question.