Abstract
Southern Nigeria is currently facing a profound environmental crisis characterized by rapidly
rising sea levels, recurrent and intensified flooding, and widespread ecological degradation.
These developments pose a growing threat to human settlements, critical infrastructure, and
fragile ecosystems. Alarmingly, government projections suggest that over 30 Nigerian states
could soon be impacted by severe flood events, amplifying the urgency for a robust and
integrated legal response. Biodiversity loss is occurring at an unprecedented rate, with many
indigenous plant and animal species either endangered or already extinct due to unsustainable
land use practices, deforestation, urban sprawl, and pollution. This paper critically evaluates
Nigeria’ s biodiversity conservation framework, with a particular focus on Southern Nigeria,
where the ecological stakes are highest. Through a doctrinal and comparative legal approach, it
investigates the effectiveness of existing national environmental laws and the institutions
responsible for enforcing them, including the National Environmental Standards and Regulations
Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the National Parks Service. It explores Nigeria’ s legal
obligations under key international and regional environmental instruments such as the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Nagoya Protocol, the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands, and the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(African Nature Convention). Furthermore, the paper draws on international legal principles
and judicial precedents, including those from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to assess
Nigeria’ s compliance with transboundary environmental obligations. Recommendations include
harmonizing domestic laws with international norms, improving institutional coordination, and
integrating indigenous knowledge into conservation strategies to enhance biodiversity protection
in Southern Nigeria.