By Abbas Nazil
The Cross River State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, and the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, have mobilised communities across the state to take greater responsibility for environmental protection and climate change adaptation.
The campaign encouraged residents to plant and protect trees, safeguard water bodies and revive indigenous conservation practices as part of efforts to address the growing impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.
The Community and Street-to-Street Awareness Campaign on Climate Change and Global Warming was held from September 21 to October 2, 2026, under Pillar Four of the 2025 Greening Schools and Climate Change Education Intervention.
Ellah Constant Arobor, Desk Officer and facilitator of the campaign, urged communities to stop indiscriminate tree felling and replace trees that have been removed.
He warned that the continued loss of vegetation was contributing to environmental degradation, erosion and rising temperatures, stressing that environmental protection should not be left solely to government.
Arobor called on residents to make tree planting a regular community practice and to take practical steps to protect their surroundings.
He said communities should establish buffer zones around rivers and streams to prevent activities that destroy vegetation and degrade water bodies.
According to him, maintaining such buffer zones and protecting vegetation over a period of five to 10 years could contribute significantly to restoring degraded ecosystems.
He stressed that communities did not need to wait for government intervention before beginning tree planting and other conservation activities.
As part of the campaign, tree seedlings were distributed to participating communities for planting and nurturing.
Arobor also expressed concern about the declining number of trees in some school environments, noting that some schools that once had a variety of tree species were gradually losing their vegetation.
He urged schools to allocate portions of their premises for tree planting and ensure that seedlings were properly maintained until maturity.
The facilitator further encouraged communities to revive indigenous knowledge and traditional practices that have historically supported environmental conservation.
He also advised residents to seek technical support and improved seedlings from relevant government institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Forestry Commission, while beginning conservation activities within their available resources.
Director of Academic Services at Cross River SUBEB, Caroline Ana, and another facilitator, Effiom Ekpo, also emphasised the importance of community participation in climate change education and environmental protection.
They stressed that meaningful climate action requires residents, schools and other community institutions to participate actively in protecting natural resources.
The campaign reached communities across the three senatorial districts of Cross River State.
In the Southern Senatorial District, activities were held in Akamkpa, Ayembam Village, Odukpani, Ikot Okon, Biase and Ikot Ogbora.
Communities covered in the Central Senatorial District included Ikom, Alok, Nkim and Enagebe, while Ogoja and Oboja-Ishibori were reached in the Northern Senatorial District.
The organisers said the campaign was designed to move climate change education beyond classrooms by encouraging communities to adopt practical measures that can protect ecosystems, reduce environmental degradation and strengthen resilience to climate-related impacts.
The initiative also highlighted the role of schools and local communities in sustaining tree planting and conservation efforts beyond the duration of the awareness campaign.
