Stakeholders in Calabar Demand Urgent Action Against Deforestation, Call for Cultural and Policy Reforms
By Efa Sunday Environmentalists, civil society groups, and local stakeholders converged in Calabar on Wednesday to address the escalating threats of deforestation across Nigeria. The one-day dialogue, themed “Deforestation: Current Realities, Emerging Threats and Building Resilience,” was organized by We the People, a civil society group committed to environmental justice and grassroots advocacy. Cross River State is home to the largest share of Nigeria’s remaining forest. According to a report, the State's rainforest was the largest undamaged forest in Nigeria just under 40 years ago. With a total forest cover of 7,920 square kilometers recorded in 1991, the state lost about 3,333 square kilometers of its surface between 1991 and 2008. Delivering his welcome address, the Executive Director of We The People, Ken Henshaw, lamented the degree of forest degradation ongoing within Cross River State, explaining that threats to forests not only impact climate change but als...