ALDO LEOPOLD’S LAND ETHIC AND DESERTIFICATION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: AN ETHICAL APPROACH

Abstract

This work is on Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic and desertification in northern Nigeria: An Ethical Approach. Desertification is a global environmental problem that has affected both developed and developing countries in various parts of the world. Nigeria is one of the countries south of the Sahara faced with fast desert encroachment, with notable effects on the northern part of Nigeria. The study showed that desertification has been experienced and reported in the northern part of Nigeria since the 1920s, but its effect or impact has been glaring since after the famine of 1971–1973. The problem this work looks at is the issue of desertification in northern Nigeria. Consequently, the study looks at the problem of desertification in Nigeria and analyses it with Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic. This work employed the method of content analysis to get a clarification of Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic and how it can be applied to the problem of desertification. The analytic method was also used to look at the concept of desertification. The work also pointed out that the government has not done enough to curb this environmental menace peculiar to those in the northern part of Nigeria. The work was able to establish that anthropocentric activities are the major causes of desertification, and it was further revealed that desertification is seriously affecting northern Nigeria. In conclusion, the work recommends that the government should not just make environmental laws but should also go further to ensure that the people are guided by these laws, that is, by enforcing them.