By Peter Duru, Makurdi
A 50-member Forest User Groups, FUGs, have been inaugurated in Gboko and Gwer East Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Benue state to stem incidences of environmental degradation and deforestation in parts of the state.
Facilitated by Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture, NAWIA, the intervention which is set up in the two LGAs with 25 members each, is said to aim at encouraging community action towards recovering lost biodiversity with focus on pollinators.
Addressing the gathered, in Aliade, the Gwer East LGA headquarter, the President of NAWIA, Mrs. Ngizan Chahul said the coming of the groups would no doubt help in the fight against the damage of the state’s ecosystem.
She noted that environmental degradation was a global concern that had gained significant attention in recent times; “and with the alarming rate at which our biodiversity is disappearing and our ecosystems are being damaged, experts from all over the world are seeking ways to address this pressing issue.
“Water bodies, which are crucial sources of life, have been heavily contaminated with industrial waste, leading to a decline in aquatic life and a threat to human health. And forest ecosystems, which are home to numerous species, have been destroyed through deforestation, logging, and mining activities.
“This has led to the displacement of wildlife and the loss of biodiversity. The extinction of numerous species is another unfortunate consequence of our actions, and the loss of biodiversity affects the functioning of entire ecosystems.
“The project which has brought us here today is funded by the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network, BES-Net, and UNDP partnership and is aimed at encouraging community action towards recovering our lost biodiversity, with a specific focus on pollinators.
“The project hopes to work with communities to deploy small-sized community actions that can help recover pollinator populations. The aim is to influence an increase in pollinator activities within communities.
“This project emphasizes the importance of collective action, where each small action taken by a community is a part of a larger effort to recover our ecosystems. The project therefore hopes to inspire communities around the world to take similar actions to restore their ecosystems.
“By implementing these small actions throughout communities worldwide, we can collectively achieve a significant impact in our efforts to recover our lost biodiversity.
She stated that “the project will focus more on tree planting, and bee keeping to help in rebuild the pollinator habitats and increasing the pollinator activities respectively, towards restoring our planet’s natural balance.”
The Benue state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Moses Ogbaji, represented by Solomon Owoicho, lauded all those who came together for the purpose of the FUGs to save the earth and revive what had been lost “especially the forest.”
He noted that Governor Hyacinth Alia had promised to procure and distribute economic tree seedlings that would help to save and conserve the environment, increase pollinator activities as well as provide livelihoods for community members.
He said “50 percent of the seedlings will be given to organizations carrying out tree planting as support from the Government. So I urge the FUGs to swing into action and work with the Ministry as it is willing to partner with the organization for the betterment of the project.”
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Ugwu Odoh, represented by Philomina Iwodi commended the organization and the communities for volunteering to work for the purpose of recovering what they had lost.
He informed that 300,000 indigenous trees would be planted in the forthcoming annual tree planting campaign assuring that the ministry “is willing to partner with organizations and individuals and willing to distribute the indigenous trees to all who are willing to partake in the initiative.”
Present at the event were traditional rulers, the Sectional Head of Forestry and the Assistant Chief Agric Superintendant, Gboko LGA, Head of Department
Agriculture, and the Principal Livestock Superintendant; Gwer East LGA among others who all drummed support for the intervention.