Yemi Olakitan
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and its partner, the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), have started a three-year forest management and livelihood improvement project in Cross River State in order to fulfil their vision of building a Nigeria where people thrive while coexisting with nature.
The initiative is intended as an audacious endeavour to give eight villages in Cross River State a strong economic and viable support, minimise deforestation, limit forest encroachment, alleviate poverty, and improve food security.
In Iko Esai, Akampka LGA, Cross River State on January 18, 2023, NCF hosted an Inception Meeting/Project Launch for the project titled “Community Forest Management and Livelihood Improvement in the Buffer Region of Cross River National Park.”
The technical team at NCF performed a survey to identify some of the problems the eight communities were facing and to assess the risk of losing their long-standing community forest. Members of the community would learn how to domesticate some animal and plant species through this initiative, as well as how to transform farm produce into foods for the food market and how to preserve perishables for long-term use or sales.
The project’s objectives are to re-establish community-based mechanisms for forest conservation and use, encourage sustainable agricultural methods, build the capacity of traders of non-timber forest products (NTFP) to increase their income, educate the local population about sustainable forest use, and increase value addition.
While praising the community, Dr. Joseph Onoja, Director General of NCF, said that when we talk about community forest management in Nigeria, these eight villages stand out and have become a reference point. Onoja was represented by Mr. Adedayo Memudu, Acting Director of Technical Programmes.
In order to secure what is left of what we inherited and to have something to pass on to the next generation so that we may ensure our collective future, he said: “NCF praises the communities for making frantic efforts to conserve what our forebears bequeathed for us.”
He disclosed that the increased livelihood support that is available would be a measure that would benefit both the communities and the state as a whole.
Iko Esai Community, Agoi Ekpo Community, Owai Community, Iko Ekperem Community, New Ekuri Clan Community, Ifumkpa Community, Old Ekuri Community, and Agoi Ibami Community are the beneficiary communities in Akampka LGA.
Traditional leaders, local leaders, youth leaders, Cross River Forestry Commission, Cross River National Park, CBOs, and NCF officials were present at the conference to address improving livelihoods for community development.
Obio Arong Owai of the Iko Esai community, Michael Attah of the Agoi Ekpo community, Opliot Okon of the Owai community, Ophot Ewort of the Iko Ekperem community, Abel Egbe of the New Ekuri Clan community, Cletus Ibuni of the Ifumkpa community, Oyi Boniface of the Old Ekuri community, Charles Ujong of the
NCF, which is referred to as the leading environmental and nature conservation NGO that pursues the conservation of nature and its resources with the aim of improving the quality of human life both in the present and in the future, is implementing the Community Forest Management and Livelihood Improvement in the Buffer Region of Cross River National Park with funding from NABU.
