By Ephraim Oseji

Alarmed by the rapid depletion of forest resources for food crop cultivation, lumbering, sand excavation, road construction, and fuelwood exploitation in Delta State, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former Delta state gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has appealed to the government to declare a state of emergency against deforestation in the state.

Onuesoke made the appeal while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a workshop in Lagos on the effects of deforestation. He noted that, apart from timber resources, the tropical rainforest is rich in a variety of plant and animal products that provide food, energy, medicine, shelter, and recreational facilities for the people of the state. He added that it also plays important roles in regulating weather conditions and patterns, and protecting soil and food crops.

The PDP Chieftain 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 suffer from traditional agricultural practices, bush-fires, road construction, red earth quarrying, lumbering, and fuel-wood exploitation, among other factors.

He stressed that the government’s failure to regulate timber cutting for commercial purposes by various groups 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 experiencing low yields of agricultural produce due to environmental forces such as rainfall, sunshine, and soil erosion. He added that the few remaining forests in the state are primarily located in sacred shrines for traditional purposes.

Onuesoke disclosed that cutting down trees for timber reduces the population of certain trees of high economic value in the forest, and has resulted in the loss of biodiversity and the alteration of the floristic composition of plants.

“They have destroyed our trees. Trailers are loading young trees, cut down in their prime, unjustly, from our communities as timber. These trees are supposed to regulate heat and provide us with oxygen. With minimal rainfall, flooding occurs everywhere. There are no trees to act as windbreakers.

“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, which lacks trees, now provides such edibles for us, while we, who have forests, cannot afford them. In another two years, there will be no trees left for timber in Delta State,” he noted.

Onuesoke pointed out that several solutions can be implemented to resolve the deforestation issue in the state, advising that people should start planting trees by applying for seedlings from overseas countries that are providing them for free.

“We need to invigorate our forest guards in the Ministry of Agriculture. The government should intensify awareness campaigns on reforestation. They should solicit partnerships with foreign organizations to provide us with seedlings for massive planting. They should work in collaboration with communities for sustainable tree planting campaigns. Not just planting trees, but ensuring sustainability through monitoring.

“There should be seminars organized by inviting international organizations to educate people on tree planting and reforestation. Conferences should be organized to educate traditional leaders and youths on the importance of forests and the disadvantages of destroying them,” he advised.