Mitigating Climate Change: The Role of Forest as an Ecosystem-Based Approach in Nigeria

Abstract

Human and natural systems are influenced by climate variability and hazards, with the
negative impacts most severely felt in developing countries. Increased climate variability
is associated with climatic change, and climate change effects will intensify significantly in the future with main drivers being anthropogenic. The ability of forest to sequester carbon from the atmosphere makes them a major and valuable carbon sink with the potential of reducing carbon levels. Advances being made on reducing deforestation and forest degradation through agendas such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), plans for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration have contributed to efforts to combat climate change. Discussions will be on the potential of forests to provide ecosystem-based solutions that deliver climate-change adaptation and mitigation.