The Director General, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Dr Joseph Daniel Onoja has enumerated factors driving deforestation in the country.
These include infrastructure projects,
weak enforcement of regulations which allows illegal logging to persist coupled with legal and illegal loggings, fuelwood and charcoal production and urbanization .
Dr. Onoja, through virtual told a 3-Day Workshop on “Women Empowerment and Climate Resilience Initiative: Strengthening Journalism and Reporting on Climate Related Issues”, which began in Kaduna on Tuesday.
A cross section of the Participants at the workshop
Dr Onoja who was speaking on the topic “Climate Science Basics, the Impact of Deforestation, said cities and towns expand to accommodate a growing population, forests are cleared for urban development and infrastructure citing Lekki, Lagos as an example.
Other severe consequences identified include environmental degradation such as soil erosion, desertification, loss of tree cover, flooding which threaten food security, loss of economic resources. increased poverty and migration.
He said without tree roots to hold the soil, it is easily washed away by rain leading to reduced agricultural productivity.
Dr. Onoja therefore stressed the need for all to protect nature, while at the other hand for nature to do same to human beings.
Contributing participants were of the view that many rural dwellers see firewood and charcoal as their means of livelihood apart from cooking . The high demand at the urban centres leads to excessive cutting of trees in the rural areas.
In Kaduna State, it was noted that its forest is shrinking, especially in Birnin Gwari, Kachia and Kagarko having its forest cover reduced from 4,800 to 2,700 Square kilometres.
It was also discovered that regeneration or replacement planted at Afaka Forestry was far below the harvesting rate.
From the foregoing, participants were urged to see themselves as a bridge between the environmental scientists and the populace in the task of creating awareness on the consequences of deforestation .
The Workshop featuring an assemblage of journalists and CSOs as well as government officials was organised by an NGO, Bridge that Gap Initiative, the Kaduna State Government, UK- International Development and Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE).
