Environmental Sustainability and Intergenerational Equity in Africa: Evidence from Nigeria on Local Conservation and Geospatial Governance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68050/JAMS.2026.560Keywords:
environmental sustainability, geospatial governance, indigenous knowledge, intergenerational equity, localized conservation, natural capital, posterityAbstract
Africa’s environmental pressures raise a direct question of intergenerational equity: whether current patterns of extraction, land conversion, pollution, and weak environmental monitoring are reducing the resource base available to future populations. This study examines that question through a framework that connects localized conservation practices with geospatial governance. A cross-sectional, mixed-source design combined structured survey evidence with secondary environmental and spatial information. Primary data comprised 842 valid responses from community members, industry practitioners, and local government and traditional leaders in environmentally affected Nigerian communities. Descriptive statistics assessed perceived degradation and projected resource deficits, while ordinary least squares regression tested the association of localized conservation and geospatial governance with intergenerational resource availability. Gas flaring recorded the highest current impact score (5.5 on a six-point scale), followed by carbon emissions (5.2), deforestation (4.8), and biodiversity loss (4.1). The regression model explained 68.4% of the variance in intergenerational resource availability (R² = .684, F = 142.6, p < .001). Localized conservation (β = .412, t = 6.34, p < .001) and geospatial governance (β = .388, t = 5.82, p < .001) were both positive predictors. The findings support an integrated approach in which community ecological knowledge supplies contextual intelligence while spatial technologies strengthen monitoring, accountability, and scale. Environmental policy that separates these capacities risks weakening long-term resource protection.
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