Environmental Expert Raises Alarm Over Mass Deforestation Of Economic Trees In Nigeria

Chief Sunny Onuesoke

“To address the issue of deforestation in Nigeria, several solutions can be implemented. One approach is to promote sustainable agricultural practices that can help to reduce the pressure on forests." Onuesoke.

A Chieftain of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunny Onuesoke has raised the alarm over the continued loss of economic trees to deforestation in Nigeria.

He said Nigeria's forest are fast disappearing and warned that urgent steps are needed to protect their benefit to the economy and environment.

The PDP Chieftain who spoke to journalists in the sideline during a two-day sensitisation workshop for high-level state forest directors, local government authorities and civil society groups to create awareness on national forest inventory held in Abuja recently,  lamented that the current level of mass  deforestation is alarming, just as he pointed out that if Nigeria leaders do not do something about it, the future of the environment is not guaranteed.

Defining deforestation as the removal of forests by humans, either for timber or to clear land for other uses, such as agriculture or urbanization, explained that in Nigeria, deforestation has become a severe issue due to the country's rapidly growing population, coupled with the increasing demand for timber, fire wood, and agricultural land.

“According to the United Nations, Nigeria has the highest deforestation rate in the world, with an estimated 3.7% of its forest lost every year.” He stated.

He explained that deforestation disrupts the natural balance of ecosystems, leading to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, changes in the local climate, contributes to releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, stressing that it equally negatively affects the local population by reducing access to clean water and increasing the risk of flooding and landslides.

The PDP chieftain who is a former aspirant for Office of Governor in Delta state disclosed that reports by the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) shows that the decline rate of forest cover in Nigeria ranged from 3.5% to 3.7% per annum over the period 2000 to 2010, adding that this translates to a loss of 350,000–400,000 hectares of forest land yearly.

Onuesoke who is the CEO of Onuesoke Foundation, an organisation committed and determined to environmental development initiatives said, “To address the issue of deforestation in Nigeria, several solutions can be implemented. One approach is to promote sustainable agricultural practices that can help to reduce the pressure on forests. 

"This can be achieved through the use of better farming techniques, such as conservation agriculture, agro forestry and the use of improved seeds and fertilisers. 

“Another solution is to promote sustainable forestry practices, such as selective logging, reforestation and afforestation. Efforts can be made to improve law enforcement and address corruption, which can help reduce illegal logging and other activities contributing to deforestation.”