NCF, partners unveil initiative to combat deforestation

A new alliance has been announced to tackle Nigeria’s rapid forest loss and steer the country’s economy toward nature-positive growth. The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Natural Eco Capital, and Business for Nature have joined forces with government and business leaders to channel private-sector innovation and finance into biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration.

The partnership was unveiled at a business advisory gathering in Abuja, where policymakers and industry representatives mapped out how corporate strategies can support national targets for forests, climate, and sustainable development. Officials underscored that reversing nature loss is central to long-term prosperity, calling for closer coordination across government, business, and civil society so investments strengthen, rather than erode, natural capital.

Why this matters now

Nigeria’s forests are nearing a tipping point. Estimates indicate only about 4 percent of the country’s original forest cover remains. Each year, roughly 400,000 hectares are cleared, driven by unsustainable logging, agricultural expansion, and urban growth. Between 2000 and 2020, Nigeria’s tree cover fell by about 13 percent—one of the fastest rates on the continent. The ecological costs are steep: declining rainfall regulation, heightened erosion and flood risks, loss of soil fertility, wildlife decline, and rising greenhouse gas emissions that amplify climate impacts.

What the partnership will do

The initiative seeks to bring companies squarely into the solution space—helping them identify where their operations and supply chains depend on healthy ecosystems, and how to reduce impacts while creating new value. Business leaders involved in the launch emphasized that nature protection is not philanthropy but sound economics: when forests and watersheds degrade, companies face supply disruptions, higher costs, and regulatory and market risks. Conversely, restoring ecosystems can unlock jobs, improve resilience, and attract climate and biodiversity finance.

Organizers set out a program to build awareness and technical capacity across key sectors. This includes guidance for businesses to:

• Measure and manage nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities in their operations and value chains.
• Integrate biodiversity and climate considerations into corporate strategies, capital allocation, and disclosure practices.
• Develop restoration and conservation projects that generate green jobs and support community livelihoods.
• Align voluntary commitments with national priorities for protecting, restoring, and sustainably using ecosystems.

Linking business action to national goals

Government representatives at the Abuja workshop stressed that Nigeria’s vision for a nature-positive future requires the private sector to pull in the same direction as public policy. By aligning company action plans with national targets, the partnership aims to accelerate progress on climate and biodiversity while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals—especially SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Leaders from NCF highlighted the urgency: if current trends continue, forest loss will further destabilize watersheds, reduce agricultural productivity, and diminish the country’s natural heritage. They argued that engaging businesses as co-investors and co-innovators can help scale restoration, reforestation, and sustainable land-use practices far more rapidly than government or nonprofits alone can achieve.

From pledges to practice

The collaboration is expected to offer practical tools and platforms that make it easier for companies to operationalize nature goals. Priorities discussed include natural capital accounting to quantify ecosystem value, supply-chain mapping to trace high-risk commodities, and financing models that reward verified conservation and restoration outcomes. By connecting business leadership with national policy frameworks, the effort aims to turn scattered corporate sustainability projects into coordinated, high-impact action.

Business for Nature’s regional representatives noted that while many Nigerian companies are expanding their sustainability programs, they often lack clear pathways to contribute meaningfully to national biodiversity targets. This partnership intends to close that gap, translating policy into actionable guidance and fostering peer learning across sectors.

A new development model

At its core, the initiative advances a shift from extractive growth toward an economy that thrives by regenerating natural systems. That means incentivizing land stewardship, supporting community forestry and agroforestry, and backing enterprises that protect ecosystem services—such as flood mitigation and pollination—on which millions of livelihoods depend.

If successful, the partnership could help bend the curve on deforestation, mobilize private finance for restoration, and build resilience to climate shocks. With only a small fraction of original forests left, the window to change course is narrowing. The message from Abuja was clear: nature is a critical asset for Nigeria’s future, and safeguarding it is both an environmental imperative and an economic strategy.