Environmental Management of Sand Dune Stabilisation and Desertification Control in Jigawa State

This study examines the environmental management of sand dune stabilisation and desertification control programmes in Jigawa State, North West Nigeria. Jigawa State lies in Nigeria's most actively desertifying zone, where sand encroachment from the north threatens farmland, roads, and settlements, and programmes combining sand dune fixation, windbreak establishment, and community agroforestry have been implemented under the Jigawa State Government and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall. A professional management assessment evaluated six active dune stabilisation and desertification control programmes across Gumel, Sule Tankarkar, and Yankwashi Local Government Areas, examining programme design quality, implementation status, ecological outcomes, and community management arrangements. Programme performance data including plant survival rates, dune advance rates, and land productivity changes were compiled from programme records and supplemented by field measurements. Community management survey data were collected from sixty participating households. Results show that programmes using integrated approaches combining grass seeding for immediate sand stabilisation with leguminous shrub and tree planting for longer-term dune fixation achieve the best ecological outcomes. Average plant survival rates across assessed programmes are 58 percent, with significant variation attributable to post-planting maintenance quality. Community programmes with clear governance structures and income-generating components show higher maintenance participation. Programmes that have proceeded without dedicated community management committees show progressive deterioration after the initial planting phase. Recommendations include establishing local environmental management committees at every programme site and creating an income mechanism through fuelwood and non-timber forest product harvesting rights within established windbreaks. Keywords: desertification, sand dune stabilisation, Jigawa State, Great Green Wall, agroforestry.