Bennett Oghifo
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), through its Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) Programme to contribute and facilitate a reforestation scheme in 25% of Nigeria’s total landmass.
GRN is a 30-year Programme that will run from 2017 to 2047, while simultaneously promoting actions to curb further deforestation and forest degradation, NCF said in a statement.
The GRN programme provides support activities that boost the livelihood of over 1000 Nigerians who live within the communities where 276,860 tree seedlings were planted in 2023.
These activities also include fuel-efficient cook stove training, provision of clean water, employment as eco-guards, tree nursery raising, enterprise development around non-timber forest products and many others, NCF said.
“The livelihood support component of the GRN Programme is to reduce total dependence of communities on the forest; to reduce deforestation caused by fuelwood extraction, encourage conservation of wildlife, and prevent hideouts of criminals in the forest reserves,” they said.
Some of the beneficiary communities in the livelihood component include Iko Esai and Becheve in Cross River; Ajingi in Kano; Guzape in Abuja; Awka Etti in Anambra, among others.
The tree planting exercise happened across the six geo-political zones of the nation. Economic trees planted include avocado, mango, cashew, orange; and timber trees like Gmelina and teak etc. The trees were planted in forest reserves, National Parks, community forests, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions, among others.
NCF said the livelihood support and tree planting projects were made possible with the support of the German Government through the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, Germany (NABU), Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Access Corporation, AFR100, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, International Labour Organisation (ILO), First Bank Nigeria Ltd, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Ltd, and many others.
“The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) is the foremost environmental NGO dedicated to nature conservation and biodiversity resource management for over 40 years. It has remained resolute in ensuring people live in harmony with nature,” the statement said.
