Garba Usman Ibeto
Project Coordinator Niger ACReSAL
About Niger
Created 3rd February, 1976 from what Used to be called North-Western State during the regime of General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, Niger State actually began functioning from April 1st of that year. The State stated with eight Local Government Areas, but now has Twenty – five Local Government Areas. As at 26th August 1991 (before the emergence of Borgu and Agwara LDAs) the state covered a Land area of 74,244 square kilo meters, which is 8% of the total land area of Nigeria. With the merger, the land mass is about 10% of the total land area that is about 85% of the arable land. The State lies on the latitude 3-200 East and longitude 11-300 North. Kaduna State and FCT are her boarders to the North – East and South – East respectively; Zamfara State boarders the North, Kebbi State in the West, Kogi State in the South and Kwara State in the South West. The Republic of Benin Along Agwara Local Government Area boarders her North West.
Specific Environmental Challenges That Link to ACReSAL in Niger State.
Niger State is an agrarian State that produced different kinds of crops and livestock; it is a State that has forest reserves across the three geographical zones. But over the years, problem of deforestation became a menace due to agricultural or grazing expansion, wood extraction (e.g., logging or wood cutting for domestic fuel or charcoal), and infrastructure expansion such as road construction and urbanization). The loss of trees and other vegetation has caused climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of other problems for the people of the State. In addition to the above, one other serious problem the State is suffering from is the land clearing for mining activities. Niger State ACReSAL is supporting community members to reclaim the deforested lands through landscape restoration.