Abstract

The study examined climate change knowledge, awareness, and perceptions among forestry students in Nigeria, recognizing the pressing global concerns regarding climate change and its impact on various sectors. This research employed a well-structured e-questionnaire administered through Google Forms to gather insights from 293 respondents, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD forestry students across Nigerian universities offering forestry courses. Data was summarized with charts, frequency, and tables. The demographic analysis revealed that 40.27% of the respondents were male, 59.73% were female and 45.73% were within the 20-25 age group. About 71.67% of students first encountered climate change through social media, underscoring the influential role of digital platforms in environmental awareness. Causes of climate change identified by the respondents included deforestation (40%), urbanization (13%), and combustion of fossil fuels (15%), among others. The primary impacts of climate change on the environment were perceived as forest degradation (41%) and loss of forest cover (39%). Moreover, a noteworthy portion of respondents expressed deep concern about climate change’s effects on Nigeria’s forests, economy, and their future careers in forestry. The study also revealed that a substantial proportion of respondents had taken courses on climate change (78.84%) and could calculate their carbon footprint (54.27%). Mitigation strategies such as afforestation/tree planting (67.58%) and strict policy implementation (16.38%) emerged as prominent solutions. This research underscores the importance of strengthening climate change education among forestry students in Nigerian universities, advocating for the introduction of comprehensive climate change courses across academic levels to equip future forestry professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to address climate-related challenges effectively.

Key Words: Climate change, Forestry, Mitigation strategies, Deforestation, Afforestation