Charcoal and Timber Businesses Worst than Tsunami
Effects of Deforestation.
Slash and burn (Deforestation)
Rhoda Nomhwange
The challenges of climate change have come to stay with humanity and yet, the people may still be too ignorant to understand the consequences of deforestation. The adverse effects of flood and hot weather conditions are some of these consequences. For all it takes, the people have continued to cut down trees, not minding the consequences.
Gyuve Ade, a timber dealer in Makurdi said people patronize them for furniture, roofing and boat/ship construction. Ade has not planted any tree to replace anyone cut, and he told THE TRANSMITTER that nobody has ever arrested him in the cause of cutting down trees because he pays his taxes regularly.
Pius Agugu, a Nagi Camp based firewood and charcoal merchant said, he is aware of the consequences of cutting down trees, but he needs to survive. That he will look for an alternative business when the trees are no longer there for his firewood and charcoal trade.
A wood seller, Chinedu Peter of Timber Shade, New Bridge Makurdi, said, tree cutting has effects on the environment because the people who cut from the primary sources do not replant to replace. He agreed with Agugu that he also has his business to mind, other than enlightening his suppliers.
A farmer, Reuben Tor said he has never been cautioned for cutting down trees. He argued that trees can never go into extinction. Certain trees may only be rare to find in certain areas and locations. The Shea Butter tree for instance is rare in certain areas, but that is not to say the trees are in extinction.
A Forestry Expert, Asue Wasen who lives at Igbor said the Ikwe Hill National Reservation Forest was a big forest. With the high rate of lumbering in the forest, it is difficult to believe that it ever existed. It is regrettable he said, that apart from lumbering, the chemicals used in the farming process also have adverse effects on the eco-system. The consequences include acute shortage of rainfall, high temperature and the exposure of the topmost layer of the soil to direct sun rays have resulted to drying up of many streams and pounds which used to moderate the temperature around the reservation.
Deputy Director, Forestry Management and Protection Department in the Benue State Ministry of Water Resources and Environment, Orshi Henry said: “forestry in Benue has it laws and establishment in the year 2010. These are laws that make provision, conservation, management and declaration of forest reservation, preservation and control of forest and for purposes connected.
According to the United Nations, when one tree is cut, it should be replaced with ten. But the Benue State policy states that the number of trees replaced should be more than the number cut down. Most of the trees use for lumbering are trees like Parkia bigbosa commonly called locust beans tree, Prosopis Africana commonly called Iron Tree, Viteliaparadosa commonly known as Shea Butter tree. The trees breathe in carbon-dioxide which is the gas breathe out by human beings. There are procedures for cutting down trees as well as replanting them, and there are Divisional Heads across the 23 Local Governments in the state. These Heads all ensure forestry laws are obeyed at their various divisions. Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN) Benue state chapter held tree planting exercise in 2014 at Asukunya,Tarka LGA, where residents were enlightened on the importance of a green environment.
Over the past years the talk on global warming and climate change has dominated major seminars and conferences. Global leaders are campaigning under the idea of helping combat the issues of global warming. Tree planting has been one of the most talked about methods of dealing with global warming.
As a universal issue, the United Strategic Plan for Forest setup in January 2017, provides a vision for global forest in 2030. This plan was adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council on 20th April, 2017 and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 27th April 2017. The strategic plan features a set of six global forest goals and 26 associated targets to be reached by 2030 which are voluntarily and universal.
The effects of global warming are severe, and only proper preservation of the ecosystem can help control what would make the earth uninhabitable.
