Contribution of forestry towards the attainment of the millennium development goals in Nigeria

Abstract

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The aim of the MDGs is to encourage development^ improving social and economic conditions in the world's poorest countries. Of the eight goals, goals 1 and 7 are of direct relevance to forestry. Goal 1 is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The set targets are to halve the proportion of people living on less that $1 a day; achieve decent employment for women, men and young people; and halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. On the other hand, Goal 7 is to ensure environmental sustainability. The first target is to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs, and reverse the loss of environmental resources, while the second target is to reduce biodiversity loss. In this paper, the contributions of forestry to the attainment of the goals are highlighted. The paper emphasized the importance of the forestry sector towards achieving the MDGs. Present challenges are also mentioned and recommendations made on how to mitigate them.