ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND SUSTAINABILITY IN ISOKO NORTH AND SOUTH, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA: THE DEFORESTATION FACTORS

Preserving our planet’s vitality remains a foremost priority for the international community. Sustaining a viable global ecosystem heavily depends on forest environments, which are indispensable for maintaining ecological balance. Consequently, this research investigates the elements driving deforestation and their broader implications for environmental sustainability across the Isoko North and South regions of Delta State, Nigeria. Analytical results yielded a computed F-value of 23.818 from the regression model, surpassing the critical t-value of 2.25 at a 0.05 significance threshold. This statistical outcome necessitated the rejection of the null hypothesis in favor of the alternative, verifying that variables such as agricultural expansion, localized bush burning, demographic pressures, commercial logging, petroleum extraction, sand mining, and the gathering of firewood significantly propel regional deforestation. Furthermore, findings demonstrate that plant life (flora) suffers a more pronounced impact from these activities than animal populations (fauna). To counter these destructive trends, the investigation strongly advocates for prioritizing the robust management and conservation of green spaces, ensuring that proactive environmental preservation outweighs ongoing degradation to mitigate the severe consequences of ecological loss.