Nigeria should be very serious about carbon trading – Expert
How impactful is Nigeria’s forest conservation policy?I must say that it is fluid. It has very little impact. Most of the forest reserves are owned by the state governments. The federal government does not own any forest reserves. As a long-standing forester and ecologist, I know that whereas much of the forest policies are decided […]
How impactful is Nigeria’s forest conservation policy?
I must say that it is fluid. It has very little impact. Most of the forest reserves are owned by the state governments. The federal government does not own any forest reserves. As a long-standing forester and ecologist, I know that whereas much of the forest policies are decided at the federal level yet these hardly get implemented at the state level. Before now, we used to have effective forest guard system that would patrol and check the forests. But in the 1980s, there was much emphasis on timber exploitation that the conservation aspect of forestry was relegated to the background.
How can Nigeria benefit from carbon trading?
As a result of what many countries like Brazil, Indonesia, and others experienced in terms of massive deforestation, they and some international agencies therefore got together and decided that any country that would allow their natural forests to stand without being destroyed, such will benefit from a fund that has been created at the World Bank. It might interest you to know that through Cross River State, Nigeria qualified for the carbon credit through the Reduced Emission from Degradation and Deforestation programme (REDD+). Though it is a very technical process but by the time the political and technical matters are completely and carefully worked out, the country will be a major beneficiary. Nigeria should come out boldly and tell the world that we are really committed to forest preservation.
How do we promote green environment and sustain a safe environment?
Green economy has to do with having trees around. It is to make deliberate policy to ensure that trees are left standing. No one is supposed to destroy trees. Let me refer you to what happened at the Obudu Mountain Ranch recently. It is very difficult to go and farm there because the altitude and the temperature and the soil types are different. Obudu is sitting on escarpment. Below it, you have the rock. The soil pocket is not all that deep. What holds the soil together is the roots of trees. Farming can be permitted at the lower altitude, that way; the other part could be left untouched to remain green.
What led to the last mudslide at Obudu?
As a scientist, I earlier did a research about the dangers on the famous Obudu Mountains. The findings and proposals were given out to government. I had expected that they would call me for an interview or discussion. They never did. I foresaw that the mudslide will happen. Yet more dangers ahead!
For emphasis, the entire Obudu Mountain ranges are made up of shallow pockets of soil, delicately sitting on top of an extensive rock escarpment, surrounded by very steep and high altitude slopes. Over the years, nature has held this delicate balance in place with the help of trees and grass cover. Now with the extensive deforestation, wild fires and the encroachment going on, this delicate balance may tip anytime. When this happens again what took place on Afi Mountains will be a child’s play. The current situation is further aggravated by the influx of new settlements into the area and people engaging in massive clear-felling of the few trees left for charcoal production.
Last year, Nigeria lost much due to massive flooding across the country. What is wrong with our ecological management?
The flooding that is taking place now is a combination of very many things. One, the world has become conscious that there is a phenomenon called Global Warming. Many countries are doing something about it. But what is Global Warming? In simple biology as we were taught in school. The green leaves that we see contain chlorophone . if you take in carbon dioxide that human being and animals breathe and carbon dioxide that is expelled from automobiles, it takes that wasted gas in and turn it into carbon and in the process they give out oxygen. Oxygen is cooler than carbon dioxide. So over the years there has been systematic deforestation of our lands. Right now the proportion of carbon dioxide that gets into the atmosphere is higher than the oxygen that is being recycled for use. All these wastes is referred to as green house emission. They have piled up so much in the atmosphere. When the sun strikes it comes down so that the sun rays cannot easily reflect back into the atmosphere. All that is causing the world to be warming and is equally affecting the climate! That in turn impact on flooding. It also changes our respiration pattern. That is why too we see that rain no longer falls at it due season. It ought not to be so. In the Tropics, we used to have clear-cut seasons for rain and dry season. It is no longer possible because many things have happened. More than anything else, when trees are removed from delicate sites, the top soil is exposed therefore when rain falls in such large quantity the soil depth is soaked. And when much moisture is saturated you begin to have erosion and landslide which causes environmental problems.
What do you think is wrong with our National Parks?
I do not think there is actually anything that is wrong with our National Park system. Our National Parks are endowed with one of the best biodiversity profiles in the world. Especially in the Cross River National Park which I headed, the tropical rain forest has been known to contain the highest number of species and therefore the richest biodiversity environment. But the problem with the park system generally is that of management. There is massive encroachment into the park. People go in to cut timber; people go to set traps for and kill animal of all species.
Do you think that Nigeria has done enough to re-populate rare species of animals that are going extinct?
No, not really! One thing with animals and wildlife management and protection is that, first of all, their habitats must be protected. When this is adequately done, these animals multiply naturally. But where that is absent you being now to look into ‘re-stocking’. But restocking must be guided by certain principles. You do not bring animals that do not exist in that particular area and expect them to survive in that ‘strange’ habitat. If you must re-stock them, you should know the history of the area; and should also do so with the species that are indigenous to that area. This way, they can pick up very easily.
The strategy for managing rare and endangered species whether animals or plants must conform to the habitats requirements and reintroducing those species that naturally occur in those areas. Let me give you an example. In the entire sub-Saharan Africa, it is only in Cross River State that you have gorillas still existing in the wild. Some years ago as a young scientist, I discovered the presence of gorillas in the state and my publications led to the creation of the Cross River National Park. Today, the gorilla population is seriously threatened by bush-burning, tree felling, encroachment by farmers. The natural habitats of these animals are being pushed beyond their limits. Gorillas are very difficult animals. They do not exist on flat lands. So if one wants to re-populate them, he must first look at the specie. There are two types of gorillas: the lowland and mountain gorillas. If you go and bring mountain gorillas from Rwanda, for example to West Africa and expect them to survive here, it may not be so. Re-introduction and re-population of species is habitat-specific and specie-specific.
Why is Nigeria not making gains from Games Reserves?
I think it is the lack of foresight. You may well know that most of the Southern and Eastern African countries their economies depend mostly on eco-tourism. By eco-tourism, I refer to the tourism carried out in the natural environment. But Nigeria is just beginning to be aware of the gains of tourism. Unfortunately, I think that the country is paying too much emphasis on cultural tourism.