Original Contribution to Environmental DNA Forensics for Illegal Logging Attribution in Nigerian Forest Reserves

Environmental DNA (eDNA) forensics offers an innovative approach to attributing illegally harvested timber to specific geographic forest locations through the analysis of soil and water-based DNA traces associated with tree species and ecosystem microbiomes. This doctoral study makes an original contribution to environmental DNA forensics by developing an eDNA-based timber geographic attribution system applicable to Nigerian forest reserve ecosystems. A multi-year experimental design was employed, sampling eDNA from soil and water at sixty-five systematic grid points across five forest reserves in Ondo, Edo, Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi States, conducting metagenomic sequencing to characterise reserve-specific eDNA signatures incorporating tree species markers, mycorrhizal fungal communities, and soil bacterial diversity, and validating the attribution model against timber exhibits from twenty-two documented illegal logging seizures. The study develops an original Nigeria Forest Reserve eDNA Atlas, characterising the molecular ecological signature of each reserve with sufficient resolution to achieve timber geographic attribution with eighty-eight percent accuracy at reserve level and seventy-two percent accuracy at within-reserve spatial resolution. The study addresses a significant gap in African environmental forensic science and provides a practical tool for supporting prosecution of illegal logging offenders. Original contributions include the eDNA Atlas, attribution model, and a standardised field sampling protocol for Nigerian forest law enforcement. Recommendations include formal adoption by the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Environment. Keywords: environmental DNA, timber forensics, illegal logging, forest reserve, Nigeria.