Criminalization of tree cutting: A climate-friendly policy that increases insecurity.

Lina Aburas Awadalla, University of Ottawa (Canada)

Communities in areas affected by climate change and insecurity live on multiple frontlines, as armed conflict and violence increases the fragility of institutions and essential services, imperative for people’s capacity to build resilience to climate shocks. The statistics are staggering – almost 60% of the 20 most vulnerable countries to climate change are areas affected by armed conflict (ICRC, 2020). Yet, the limited amount of research on the climate-conflict nexus currently hampers global climate governance and policy. In this paper, I examine the role of tree cutting as both a driver and manifestation of environmental insecurity in Nigeria’s northeast. Drawing on my PhD research of qualitative interviews, FGDs and document analysis, I explore how local communities and policy actors understand and respond to deforestation, and how policymaking aimed to combat climate change and deforestation, ends up increasing insecurity. Tree cutting is not only linked to livelihood strategies and climate stress, but deeply embedded in power relations, governance gaps, and competing claims over land and resources. In the context of weak institutions, tree cutting has become a contested activity – fueling tensions, undermining environmental resilience, and further complicating environmental policymaking. The study highlights the need to integrate environmental governance and local knowledge systems into policymaking.