By Bisola Adeyemo
The current hike in the price of cooking gas has left some Nigerians to seek other cooking alternatives.
These cooking alternatives are charcoal, firewood, etc which could lead to illegal cutting of forest trees due to its high demands.
The cutting down of trees in the forest through Illegal logging has partly contributed to global warming in the world particularly in African countries which often causes whirlwind during the dry season.
Forests act as carbon sinks and climate regulators which play a significant role in mitigating the effect of global warming and climate change.
Large scale tree cutting can lead to deforestation, a transformation of an area from forest to terrain with little vegetation. Plants create oxygen and absorb greenhouse gases.
The socio-economic impacts caused by large-scale illegal logging activities are listed hereinafter desertification, drought, loss of traditional cultures and increased runoff, economic loss, loss to soil fertility, human rights violation and increased ratio of homeless people.
Recently, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said illegal cutting of tress involves the use of corrupt ways to reach the forests or protected areas, the harvesting or cutting down of trees without approval, and selling them elsewhere or in black markets as timber.
FAO stated that “trees are being destroyed at an alarming rate. More and more businessmen are pushing through forests to gain land for industrial or commercial purposes. The environment is being sacrificed for the sake of profit.
“Deforestation can have serious effects on air and water pollution, climate change, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity.
“As an individual or part of the global community, you can at least plant a tree to combat deforestation.
“You can take one step further by the choices you make throughout the day when we’re shopping, eating, or even driving. One small step by you leads to twenty or more giant leaps towards a global campaign against deforestation.”
It is important to fight illegal logging because of the damage it inflicts on people, societies and the environment.
It can deprive forests, communities of livelihoods, and the natural resources they rely on and lead to human rights violations, unrest, and violence.
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