LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Аннотация

INTRODUCTION rainforests, freshwater swamps, and coastal Nigeria, rich in biodiversity, boasts diverse vegetation (UNODC 2022). The Niger Delta, a ecosystems and numerous species, including over global biodiversity hotspot, contains Africa's 864 birds, 117 amphibians, 203 reptiles, 775 fish, largest mangrove forest and 11 Ramsar sites 285 mammals, and 4,715 vascular plants. The covering 1,076,728 hectares, hosting endangered country's ecosystems range from semi-arid species like the Niger Delta red colobus, Cross savannas to montane forests, floodplains, https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajmspr 20 THE USA JOURNALS THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH (ISSN – 2689-1026) VOLUME 06 ISSUE09 River gorilla, African manatee, and leatherback on diverse ecosystems for their sustenance turtle (Numbere, 2019). Despite this richness, (Sangothari et al., 2024). Nigeria's biodiversity is undervalued and Furthermore, the decline in biodiversity can threatened by habitat loss, overexploitation, contribute to broader socio-economic and political pollution, invasive species, and climate change, instability, as food insecurity often triggers driven by factors such as population growth, economic downturns, social unrest, and political urbanization, poverty, weak governance, and lack vulnerabilities (Sangothari et al., 2024). The global of awareness. According to the IUCN Red List 2019, trend of agricultural intensification and the Nigeria has 309 threatened species (Mongabay continual conversion of natural habitats into 2022; Onipede 2024). agricultural lands have been identified as major Biodiversity conservation in Nigeria also offers threats to biodiversity worldwide, leading to the many opportunities, such as enhancing economic extinction of native flora and fauna (Lenda, 2024). development, poverty reduction, food security, Agricultural biodiversity serves as the foundation health, and resilience. However, the biodiversity for research and development in agriculture, within these agricultural landscapes is highlighting its critical role in sustaining food increasingly under threat, posing significant risks production systems (Joshi & Upadhya, 2019). to food security in the country. Biodiversity loss While agricultural landscapes are essential for within agricultural areas not only diminishes food production, the expansion of agricultural resilience against pests and diseases but also activities often comes at the expense of hampers soil fertility and reduces the essential biodiversity loss, emphasizing the need for a ecosystem services necessary for crop production balance between agricultural productivity and (Sangothari et al., 2024). The intensification of biodiversity conservation (Sangothari et al., 2024). agricultural practices, habitat destruction, climate In Nigeria, as in many other regions globally, the change, and other human-induced factors have challenge lies in reconciling the need for increased collectively contributed to a notable decline in agricultural output to meet the demands of a biodiversity, thereby jeopardizing the growing population with the imperative to sustainability of food systems and exacerbating conserve biodiversity for long-term food security food security challenges (Lenda, 2024). and ecosystem health. The intricate interplay The erosion of biodiversity in Nigeria's agricultural between agricultural practices and biodiversity ecosystems has far-reaching implications for food conservation underscores the necessity for production and national security. Diminished integrated farming systems that prioritize both biodiversity can lead to a decrease in agricultural agricultural productivity and biodiversity productivity, heightened vulnerability to pests and preservation (Sangothari et al., 2024). The diseases, and an increased reliance on a limited coexistence of agriculture and biodiversity is range of crop species, rendering food systems less crucial for maintaining ecosystem services, resilient to external shocks (Sangothari et al., ensuring sustainable food production, and 2024). This loss of biodiversity is intricately linked safeguarding the livelihoods of communities to various food security issues such as dependent on agriculture for their well-being malnutrition, fluctuations in food prices, and the (Sangothari et al., 2024). livelihoods of rural communities that heavily rely This study aims to assess the extent of biodiversity https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajmspr 21 THE USA JOURNALS THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH (ISSN – 2689-1026) VOLUME 06 ISSUE09 loss in Nigeria's agricultural ecosystems, creatures that roam the planet (Palombo, 2021). specifically focusing on the impacts of pollution This diversity isn't just about the number of from oil exploration, deforestation, desert species; it includes the variation in genes within a encroachment, migration, hunting and gathering, species