Deforestation remains a major environmental challenge threatening forest resources and environmental sustainability in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. This study examined the major drivers of deforestation and assessed its implications for environmental sustainability in the state. The study was anchored on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) Theory, which explains the relationship between socioeconomic development and environmental degradation. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with 384 questionnaires administered to respondents selected from Akwanga, Karu and Lafia Local Government Areas representing the three senatorial zones of the state. Of these, 374 questionnaires were successfully retrieved and analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. The findings revealed that timber harvesting was the leading driver of deforestation (85%), followed by settlement expansion and agricultural expansion (81% each), charcoal production (78%), fuel-wood collection (72%), population growth and mining activities (70% each), while bush burning recorded the lowest agreement (53%). The study further found that deforestation has substantial implications for environmental sustainability, particularly loss of biodiversity (83%), increased environmental temperature (80%), loss of carbon storage and reduction in vegetation cover (71% each), loss of ecosystem services and increased soil erosion (69% each), and deterioration of water resources (65%). The study recommends sustainable land-use and forest-resource management practices among farmers and forest-dependent communities, alongside strengthened forest protection, environmental regulation, reforestation and forest-restoration programs by the Nasarawa State Government.

Keywords: Deforestation, Environmental Sustainability, Forest Resources, Land-Use Change, and Timber Harvesting.