The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has boosted the economic value of 1,000 Nigerians with the planting of 276,860 trees in 2023 in its Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) programme.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Oladapo Soneye, the Head Communications, NCF, on Thursday, January 18, 2024, in Lagos.
Soneye said the overall goal of the GRN programme was to contribute and facilitate reforestation scheme in 25 per cent of Nigeria’s total landmass.
According to him, the GRN is a 30-year programme that will run from 2017 to 2047, while simultaneously promoting actions to curb further deforestation and forest degradation.
He mentioned other activities of the programme to 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.
Soneye noted that the livelihood support component of the GRN programme was to reduce total dependence of communities on the forest and to reduce deforestation caused by fuel-wood extraction.
Others are encouraging conservation of wildlife, and prevent hideouts of criminals in the forest reserves.
He listed some of the beneficiary communities in the livelihood component to include Iko Esai and Becheve in Cross River; Ajingi in Kano; Guzape in Abuja; Awka-Etiti 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 Melina and teak etc.
“The trees were planted in forest reserves, national parks, community forests, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions among others,” Soneye said.
He said the livelihood support and tree planting projects were made possible through the support of the German Government through the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union and Stanbic IBTC Holdings.
He mentioned others supporters of the programme as Access Corporation, AFR100, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, International Labour Organisation and First Bank of Nigeria Ltd.
Others are the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Ltd., and many others.
The NCF is the foremost environmental NGO dedicated to nature conservation and biodiversity resource management for over 40 years.
It has remained resolute in ensuring that people live and prosper in harmony with nature.
By Fabian Ekeruche
