The Constraints to Effective Implementing of Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation in Nigeria

Since the adoption of the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of all types of Forest at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the issue of combating deforestation remains one of the topical issues relating to climate change discussions globally. To combat deforestation, countries go beyond international conventions to institutionalize domestic frameworks to regulate illegal timber logging. However, the implementation of regulatory policies has been ineffective in countries like Nigeria. Situated within this problem, this study identified some domestic constraints affecting the effectiveness of timber logging regulation in Nigeria. To this end, data was collected from respondents using structured questionnaires. The data were analysed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) at a 0.05 level of significance. Constraints identified are corruption, insufficient legal framework, lack of coordination in regulation enforcement, inadequate staff, and the state monopoly of forest ownership.