Sylvester Idowu in Warri
Disturbed by the rate at which forest resources are being depleted for food crop cultivation, lumbering, sand excavation, road construction and fuel wood exploitation among others, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has appealed to the Delta State Government to declare a state of emergency against deforestation in the state.
Onuesoke, who made the appeal while speaking to journalists yesterday on the sideline during a workshop in Lagos on the effect of deforestation, noted that apart from timber resources, tropical rain forest is very rich in variety of plant, animal products that provide food, energy, medicine, shelter, recreational facilities for people in the state.
He added that it equally plays important roles in the amelioration of weather conditions and patterns, protection of soil and food crops among others.
The PDP chieftain, however, lamented that the valuable goods, services and benefits provided by the tropical forest in the state are threatened by deforestation.
He noted that forest lands suffered from traditional agricultural practices, bush fire, road construction and red earth quarrying, lumbering and fuel wood exploitation among others.
Onuesoke stressed that the failure of government to regulate timber cutting for commercial purposes by different group of people and to require them to replant cleared areas is another major cause of deforestation in the state.
According to him, deforestation has resulted in farmers’ low yield of agricultural produce as a result of environmental forces like rainfall, sunshine and soil erosion, adding that the few existing forest in the state are in sacred/ shrine for traditional purposes.
Onuesoke disclosed that cutting down of trees in the forest for timber reduces the population of certain trees of high economic values in the forest, just as he argued that it has resulted in the loss of bio-diversity as well as the floristic composition of plants.
“They have destroyed our trees. There are trailers loading baby trees cut down in their prime unjustly from our communities as timbers. These trees are supposed to consume the heat and give us oxygen. With little rain, everywhere is flooded. There are no trees to act as wind breakers.
“They are cutting down our economic trees like rubber trees, mango trees, bush mango trees, pepper fruit trees. Ebelebo and pear trees among others. Unfortunately, the North that do not have trees now provide such edibles for us and we that have forest cannot afford it. In another two years time there will not be any tree for timber in Delta State,” he noted.
Onuesoke pointed out that several solutions can be implemented to resolve deforestation issue in the state, advising that the people should start planting trees by applying for the seedlings from oversea countries,which are giving out free.
“We need to invigorate our forest guide in the Ministry of Agriculture. The government should intensify awareness campaign on forestation. They should solicit with foreign partners to give us seedlings for massive planting. They should work in cognisance with the communities for sustainable tree planting campaign. Not just planting trees, but it should be sustainable. Sustainable, in the sense that it should be monitored.
“There should be organisation of seminars by inviting international organisations to lecture the people on tree planting and forestation. Organise conference by educating the traditional leaders and youths by telling them the importance of forestation. We should also tell them the disadvantages of destroying the forests,” he advised.
