THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: NIGERIA IN FOCUS

Abstract

The Nigeria environment like other national environments, had been a victim of human exploitation. The era of industrial revolution will forever remain important in human history, for the fact among others, that it marked the beginning of man destroying his environment through his activities. In the quest for economic and social development, industries polluted the environment freely and disturbed the ecosystem. Almost every country witnessed wanton clearing of land for building of industries, schools, over exploitation of wildlife and marine resources, emitting of poisonous gases like chlorinated hydrocarbons into the atmosphere by industrial machines and automobiles, pouching, pollution of marine environment from industrial waste, uncontrolled depletion and ravaging of natural resources; partly by reasons of the explosive growth of human populations and partly as a result of the demands of industrial technology and of recent, in some countries like Nigeria, environmental pollution relating to exploitation of oil. In Nigeria, the Concept of conservation as a strategy of rational utilization and management of rational utilization and management of available resources dates back to the colonial days. At that time it was used as a tool of administration for the implementation of nature conservation policies of colonial administration which was essentially linked to the economic interest of the home country. Thus conservation of natural resources was to ensure a steady supply of the needed raw materials. In line with global trends, emphasis has shifted beyond mere development to sustainable development. Sustainable development plans look beyond the welfare of the present generations to that of future generations. The quest for environmental conservation for sustainable development brought about the need for legislations that will conserve the environment and thus enhance sustained development, since laws and policies are salient tool of social ordering expected to reverse specific human attitudes, activities or beliefs which are not conservative friendly in order to secure a safe and healthy environment for the present generations and generations yet unborn.