By Godwin Ajom
Against the backdrop of continuing environmental challenges courtesy of unabated deforestation, illegal mining and timber exploitation, the demand for environmental justice has taken the center stage in Cross River State, with stakeholders demanding for a stronger enforcement of environmental laws in the State.
Data from Environmental Justice and Forest Conservation, shows that Nigeria has lost 90% of its pristine forest cover, with an alarming deforestation rate of 3.5% annually translating to 400,000 hectares of forest loss each year.
From 2001 to 2023, Cross River State, which holds about 50% of Nigeria’s remaining forests, has recorded an accelerating deforestation rate of 134,000ha, equivalent to 11% decrease in tree cover, the highest ever recorded globally (Global Forest Watch, 2024).
Between 2008 and 2024, despite a ban on logging, the state witnessed unprecedented levels of forest destruction, worsening environmental degradation and threatening local livelihoods. Deforestation exacerbates climate change, weakens carbon sequestration, and increases flood risks in coastal areas.
Indicators show that the loss of forest cover in the Cross River has significantly reduced agricultural yields, endangered biodiversity, and disrupted ecosystems that sustain rare species such as the Cross River gorilla, drill monkeys, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, pangolins, and forest elephants.
Experts, however, have warned that without urgent action, future generations will inherit a barren landscape, devoid of the rich natural heritage that has sustained Cross River State for centuries.
Speaking to Journalists in Calabar on the current trends of forest loss and implications, Chairman of the Environmental Justice and Forest Conservation, Emmanuel Owan, who doubles as Head of Cross River office, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), blamed the current challenges on unregulated logging, infrastructure damage, and biodiversity loss.
Owan said livelihood disruptions, illegal activities in protected areas, and environmental degradation from mining, decline of ecotourism, watershed disruption, mangrove disruption and weak enforcement are major challenges facing the environment in the state.
Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have resolved to establish a Coalition known as ‘Civil Society Coalition for Environmental Justice and Forest Conservation’.
The coalition aims to coordinate CSOs environmental and conservation efforts in the state, with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) office in Calabar serving as its Secretariat to ensure stronger enforcement of forest protection laws by relevant government agencies.