A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has appealed to the state government to set up Forestry and Conservation Commission to tackle deforestation, forest degradation and develop forest assets.
Onuesoke, a former governorship aspirant in the state, decried the effects the loss and degradation of forests are having on the people and pointed out that the Commission if inaugurated will reverse the trend, harness the forest wildlife resources, promote the conservation of the ecosystem and take charge of the ungoverned spaces in the forest.
He expressed worries over the devastating impacts of poachers, illegal logging activities and arsonists, especially herdsmen, who allegedly set fire to the forest to allow for fresh pasturing grasses.
According to him, “Deforestation and forest degradation are happening at an alarming rate, resulting in many wildlife habitats being destroyed, farmlands opened to flooding, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gases accumulation and loss of forest ecosystem, among others. Delta State is a low-lying coastal state that is vulnerable to climate change. The trees in the forest are very important for the sequestration of carbon, so we need to conserve the forest.
“Through afforestation, there would be more plants or trees to help absorb carbon dioxide and reduce its content in the air or in the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide is being reduced through the help of trees, then the problems of climate change and global warming will be answered, even in the smallest way. More than the trees, the soil that is being developed as a forest also absorbs the CO2 from the atmosphere three times more than the trees.”
He argued that it is sad that a state like Delta which is blessed with natural forests allows the extinction of peculiar animals and giant African trees enriched with interlocking canopies from the forests, which are potential revenue earners through eco-tourism.
Consequently, he appealed to the state government to introduce an afforestation policy through the implementation of the Forestry and Conservation Commission to replace fallen trees in its forest reserve in line with global best practices. He equally urged the people to embrace the culture of tree planting to assist in mitigating global warming as well as for socio-economic development.
