We depend on forests for our survival: From the air we breathe, the wood we use, habitats for animals, livelihood for humans, watershed protection, preventing soil erosion to mitigating climate change. All these, though essential for our survival, mean little to us, or so it seems, given the rate at which Nigeria’s forest reserve is being depleted. If that is attributed to our level of poverty and abysmal depth of economic development, what can one say about absence of governmental effort towards conservation and afforestation? That may be the real tragedy.

Yet, Nigeria boasts enough experts in the relevant areas in the public and private sectors to appreciate that forests are essential in increasing the volume and quality of drinking water available to the populace, as well as providing us with oxygen. Sad, it is in our nature to take such for granted.

Above all, why do we depend heavily on imported furniture from Italy especially, when we have competent and creative furniture makers? Once upon a time, there was a Sapele Plywood Industry, and variety of lumber for wood products, containers and even a Newsprint Manufacturing Company at Oku-Iboku in Akwa Ibom State, now defunct too. There was also Jebba Paper Mill and a similar one in Ogun State. Whereas the Plywood Industry belonged to the UACN all the paper mills were Federal Government projects. Despite the millions of students – from kindergarten to the university – is there any item of book or stationery produced locally? Though the answer is obvious to an illiterate market woman, for the records, it is necessary to restate: it is capital NO.

A sovereign nation of 59 years, blessed with abundant mineral and human resources, Nigeria does not only survive on importation of goods and services, unjustifiable loans and doubtfully utilized donations, even our forests can only survive through the help of expatriates and donor agencies. An example is last week’s report in Enviro-Nigeria: It confirms the dependence on donor agencies and foreign experts of the Yankari Game Reserve located in Bauchi State, which is said to contain Nigeria’s largest elephant population, currently estimated at around 100.

“Yankari contains the largest remaining savanna elephant population in the country, and one of only two lion populations left in Nigeria,” said Andrew Dunn, Country Director, Nigerian Programme of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The Reserve, he added, is being managed through a co-management agreement between the WCS and Bauchi State Government, with funding support from United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Elephant Crisis Fund, and the Lion Recovery Fund.

“While progress in Yankari and other areas such as Cross River National Park is encouraging, with porous borders and weak enforcement, Nigeria has become a notorious centre for the illegal trade in ivory to China and Vietnam, transiting through Nigeria from other areas in Africa.”

Perhaps more facts could be adduced to substantiate the great importance of forests to humanity, including Nigeria. In a recent journal piece, Russel McLendon articulated 21 reasons why forests are important. And as if he was addressing Nigerians, he started by saying:

“Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Forests cover nearly a third of all land on Earth, providing vital organic infrastructure for some of the planet’s densest, most diverse collections of life. They support countless species, including our own, yet we often seem oblivious of that. Humans now clear millions of acres from natural forests every year, especially in the tropics, letting deforestation threaten some of Earth's most valuable ecosystems. We tend to take forests for granted, underestimating how indispensable they still are for everyone on the planet.

“A crisis like deforestation depends on indifference. So to help things get better for woodlands around the world, we'd all be wise to learn more about the benefits of forests – and to share that knowledge with others; because, indifference often depends on ignorance. In hopes of shedding more light on what forests do for us, and how little we can afford to lose them, here are 21 reasons why forests are so important (subject headlines only):

“1. They help us breathe 2. They’re more than just trees 3. People live there, too 4. They keep us cool 5. They keep Earth cool 6. They make it rain 7. They fight flooding 8. They pay it forward 9. They refill aquifers 10. They block wind 11. They keep dirt in its place 12. They clean up dirty soil 13. They clean up dirty air 14. They muffle noise pollution 15. They feed us 16. They heal us 17. They help us make things 18. They create jobs 19. They create majesty 20. They help us explore and relax 21. They’re pillars of their communities.”

For optimum results, forests need to be managed. In organised climes, experts appreciate why forest management is important. “Sustainable forest management addresses forest degradation and deforestation while increasing direct benefits to people and the environment. At the environmental level, it contributes to important services such as carbon sequestration and water, soil and biodiversity conservation.”

Meanwhile, for the past 65 years, there has been a Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) at Jericho, Ibadan, Oyo State. It has the mandate to conduct research into all aspects of forestry, forest products utilisation, wildlife, watershed management, agro-forestry, and the like. Against the backdrop of the above quote on the importance of managing forests, the following question prompts: To what extent has FRIN performed the above functions since 1954? By its own record: “FRIN's Taxonomy Section developed the nationally renowned Forest Herbarium Ibadan (FHI), the largest herbarium in Nigeria, with more than 100,000 collections. This extensive range representative of Nigerian vegetation types, all under one roof, has made FHI indispensable in taxonomic research of Nigerian flora.” And what is taxonomy?

To enable the reader rate FIRN, Wikipedia explains: “Taxonomy – from Greek taxis, meaning arrangement or division, and nomos, meaning law – is the science of classification according to a predetermined system, with the resulting catalog used to provide a conceptual framework for discussion, analysis or information retrieval.”

In less than half the lifetime of FRIN, Ibadan, let’s see what the Israeli Jewish National Fund has achieved in the area of forestry research and management, which is only a small aspect of its broad mandate.

Although founded in 1901 as a real estate firm in Palestine, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrae-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) is reputed to have planted 240 million trees in the desert land since the birth of modern Republic of Israel in 1948. As a genuine people-oriented public corporation, it has been expanding its portfolio overtime in accord with national interest. In 24 years, KKL-JNF recalled its service record in a publication.

“Our major achievement is undoubtedly the ratification of the National Master Plan for Forests and Afforestation in 1995. Thanks to this plan, Israel’s wooded areas and open spaces are safe from exploitation and misuse. It provides guidelines for the preservation and maintenance of forests and woodlands standing on close to 400,000 acres (160,000 hectares) of land, side by side with regulated, careful development – a true synthesis of the concept of sustainability.

“At KKL-JNF, we are committed to forestry research to improve the quality of our trees, to develop environmentally friendly methods of dealing with pests, prevent erosion and desertification and create forests that people can enjoy. Our forests would not be what they are without research – we take our forestry work seriously! We study what to plant and how to match trees with their environment, to create and restore habitats to their original state.

Despite our best efforts, forests change – trees grow older, fires break out and sometimes aggressive pests attack. To keep our forests healthy and thriving, we have to battle these elements by maintaining a top-notch firefighting system and early-warning fire network, maintaining forests and preserving them, and rehabilitating burnt areas. In short, by continuing to invest in our forests, even when we think our work is done.”

If one may ask, in which area of the environment can the Federal Republic of Nigeria and her wealthy public officers say they have sincerely committed themselves to improve either the present challenge, or future welfare of the people? Conversely, we members of the public cannot continue to be indifferent on environmental issues.

The threat is real!

•Nwafo, Consulting Editor, News Express and Environmental Analyst, can be reached on: chi_dafo @yahoo.com; +2348029334754.

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