Nigeria’s 650,000-square-kilometre rangelands are facing increasing degradation, driven by desertification, agricultural and livestock expansion and overgrazing, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, has said.
Mr Lawal, represented by Etim William, Director of the Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Management Department in the ministry, raised the concern in Abuja on Monday while delivering a keynote address at Nigeria’s commemoration of the 2026 World Desertification and Drought Day.
The minister called for urgent action to restore degraded landscapes and strengthen Nigeria’s resilience to drought and climate change.
He said the degradation of rangelands, particularly in northern Nigeria, was undermining food security, increasing the vulnerability of rural communities and threatening the social and economic fabric of affected regions.
“Rangelands cover 650,000 square kilometres, largely in the northern states. They support most of Nigeria’s livestock sector; they are central to pastoral livelihoods, food security and rural economies,” Mr Lawal said.
