The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and forestry sector stakeholders have called for an urgent review of the Cross River Forestry Commission Laws to address rising forest crimes, combat deforestation, and promote reforestation.
Addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Calabar, the Executive Director of “We The People,” Ken Henshaw, highlighted the importance of upgrading the state’s forestry laws to align with global economic opportunities.
He noted that the existing legal framework allowed for meagre penalties that acted as incentives for illegal activities rather than deterrents.
Henshaw pointed out that under current regulations, the seizure of a truck involved in a forest crime attracted a fine of only N200,000, a sum most illegal loggers paid readily to continue their operations.
He recommended the implementation of stronger, more proportionate sanctions, improved monitoring systems, and better coordination among enforcement agencies to close existing gaps.
The Executive Director further emphasised that declining forest cover and insecurity linked to illegal logging have undermined the state’s ecotourism potential.
He explained that the new forestry law should embed ecotourism principles, provide legal backing for conservation-based enterprises, and encourage public-private partnerships.
“By protecting forests, we are also protecting economic opportunities for present and future generations,” Henshaw said.
On his part, the Chairman of the NGO Coalition for Environment, Odigha Odigha, revealed that Cross River has lost over 60 per cent of its original forest cover.
He stressed that large areas of what was once dense rainforest have become degraded lands.
Odigha warned that if urgent reforms were not undertaken, the state risked permanently losing one of Nigeria’s most valuable ecological assets.
The stakeholders collectively recommended the recognition of traditional knowledge systems and the implementation of community-based monitoring mechanisms to strengthen forest governance.
Source: Punch News
