3. Vegetation and Human Impact

Natural vegetation in Nigeria, as elsewhere, is the plant cover that develops with little or no influence or modification by humans and is dominated by native species. Some introduced species, like Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis, have naturalized and become important components of the local vegetation varieties in the different parts of the country. The wide variation of environmental factors in the country has produced a range of vegetation types, with forests (mangrove forest and rainforest) in the south and savanna vegetation (Guinea, Sudan and Sahel savanna) in the middle and northern parts. Vegetation communities together with the country’s landforms influence considerably the nature, pattern and biophysical processes taking place in the country. Human interference and climate change are posing a serious challenge to the biophysical processes, and there is a need to continue green growth to mitigate human impact on the country’s landscape.