The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) says it plans to plant 10,000 trees in Edo, aimed at restoring the state’s ecosystem.
NCF’s Coordinator in the state, Mrs Edosa Esosa, made the disclosure on Friday at a tree planting exercise at St. Maria Gorretti Girls Grammar School and also at Idogbo Junior Secondary School, both in Benin.
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According to her, the tree planting, done in collaboration with the Edebiri family in honour of their late mother Omo’Oba Mary Mojisola Edebiri (Nee Awolesi), is to save the school environment.
She said that the idea to plant trees in schools was to provide the much needed shade, preserve the ecosystem and create a more pleasant and friendly environment for the school children.
“The tree planting exercise is to be spread across the public schools in Edo. Today, we are planting 50 trees at St Maria Gorretti with another 50 trees at Idogbo School.
“Our aim is to ensure we plant trees in all public schools in Edo”, she said.
Esosa noted that the trees planted on school premises would also provide opportunities for environmental education, as well as getting young children to think about environmental conservation early.
The coordinator disclosed that the foundation would establish a conservation club for school children to educate them on the importance of tree planting, nature conservation and biodiversity resource.
The Chairman of Grassroots Consultative Committee, Edo Forest Reserve, Mr Monday Iyayomwangbe, said 5000 of Khayar seedlings and another 5000 Senegelisis seedlings would be planted in the state.
According to him, the species of the two seedlings will help to regenerate and protect the ecosystem of the state.
“The benefits of tree planting cannot be over-emphasised; apart from the beautification of the environment, it helps develop plantations, as well as wind breakers to protect both residential, industrial and public structures.
“When we plant trees, they cool the environment, absorb greenhouse gases, increase humidity and aesthetic beauty, provide food and improve wildlife habitat and the ecosystem,” he said.
He, however, called on organisations and well-meaning individuals in the state to collaborate with the government and NCF in combating climate change through tree planting and sensitisation against tree felling.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NCF, an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Nigeria, is dedicated to nature conservation and biodiversity resource management.
The foundation over the past four decades has been in the forefront of securing a better future for nature conservation and sustainable livelihoods for people and wildlife resources in Nigeria. (NAN)