Save Our Heritage Initiative (SOHI), an NGO, has called on the Federal Government to devise policies for the preservation of forest reserves for not only tourist attraction, but foreign exchange income.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the group, Ms May Ikokwu, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja in commemoration of the 2022 World Forests Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that March 21 is a day set aside by the UN as World Forests Day to raise awareness about the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on the earth.
NAN reports that in 1971, World Forestry Day was established at the 23rd General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture.
Ikokwu, therefore, said that government at all levels should rise up to the occasion of protecting trees and woods from destruction.
She said “the more people are allowed to fell trees illegally, the more government loses revenue, especially foreign exchange that comes through tourism, and the more desert encroaches.
“Forests are not only sources of wood, but have the capacity to break winds and prevent water erosion, so we need to preserve them,” she said.
The culture advocate, who described forests as an important component of nature with protective characteristics against the onslaughts of wind, said it was time for Nigeria to improve on its preservation.
“Many trees and plants in the forest have medicinal values, yet unknown to some herbalists.
“The fact that we are unaware of their medicinal properties is no reason to destroy them,” she added.
According to her, forest reserves such as Shasha River Forest in Ogun, Anara forest reserve in Kaduna, Edumanom forest reserve in Bayelsa, Okomu forest reserve in Edo, and others, should be given more attention now for economic benefits.
Ikokwu expressed the determination of her initiative to continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders “to preserve gifts of nature, especially forests.”
She said that continuous and reckless felling of trees was responsible for deforestation and desert encroachment which was inimical to nature and national development.
(NAN)
