GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT
The study empirically assessed the environmental implication and control strategies of
deforestation. Expost-Facto survey design was adopted for the study. The study was conducted
in Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of the climate scientist and environmental
scientist in Nigeria. Stratified sampling technique was used in selecting 6 climate scientist and
39 environmental scientists which was drawn from each of the geographical zone in Nigeria.
This gave a total of 270 sample size used for the study. The instrument used in this study for
data collection was a questionnaire titled " Assessment of Deforestation Questionnaire (ADQ)".
Face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by an expert in testing,
measurement, and evaluation to ensure that the instrument has the accuracy, appropriateness,
and completeness for the study under consideration. The reliability coefficient obtained was
0.80, and this was high enough to justify the use of the instrument. The researcher subjected
the data generated for this study to appropriate statistical techniques such as percentage
analysis. The test for significance was done at 0.05 alpha levels. It was Concluded that the
underlying causes of deforestation need the attention of government authority to resolve these
causes, implementing strong rules regulations in order to mitigate the adverse impacts of
deforestation and save the ecosystem. The underlying causes of deforestation are said to be the
following: expansion of farming land, logging and fuel wood, overgrazing, fires, and Mining.
Also, all strategies to mitigating deforestation require cooperation and goodwill. The strategies
must be such that on one hand they should recognize the critical roles of national, state and
municipal governments and on other hand empower the civil society and the private sector to
take a pro-active role in reducing deforestation, often working in conjunction with government.
One of the recommendations made was that the forested areas should be protected by creating
laws and policies that ensure forests are kept protected and restored, and betting on land
practices such as wildfire corridors.
KEYWORDS: Deforestation, Environmental Implication and Control Strategies