Ibrahim Goni, Conservator-General (CG) of the National Park Service, has blamed forest communities in Cross River for complicity in forest destruction, saying locals’ support key to exploitation.

Mr Goni stated this in Calabar during a stakeholder dialogue, organised by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in partnership with the National Park Service and other stakeholders on the protection of forests and biodiversity.

The meeting was also for the official launch of the European Union (EU) PROFAB project.

The EU PROFAB project is a programme aimed at protecting the forest ecosystem, biodiversity, and enhancing climate sustainability.

Mr Goni, who was represented by Caroline Olori, former CP, Cross River National Park, emphasised that climate change was real and that the job of protecting the forests was not for government alone.

According to him, the ongoing destruction of forests in the state is happening because outsiders come, offer money, and the youths, as well as the whole community, join and accept them.

He said that the meeting was to raise the alarm that ‘’there is a fire on the mountain and unless we act now, it will continue and forests take years to grow, but can be destroyed in days.

“Climate change is real, the extreme heat, floods and environmental changes we thought were far away are upon us today because of our continued forest destruction.

“At the end of this meeting, each of us must go back determined to act; if we say we will no longer allow outsiders to exploit our forests, they cannot,” he said.

On his part, country director of WCS, Inaoyom Imong, said the objective of the programme was for a sincere dialogue from all stakeholders on policies, legal and institutional frameworks that enhance protection of the forest.

Mr Imong said that the Cross River forest was fast declining and if something was not urgently done, the state would run the risk of losing all of its forests very soon.

He said that it was important for stakeholders to start looking at measures that could be taken to salvage what was left of the biodiversity in Cross River.

He noted that communities were very important, adding that the fight to protect the forest cannot succeed without the active participation and support of the royal fathers in the communities.

“I also want us to note that what we are doing in conservation in this state is not just for the sake of conservation.

‘’It is to improve the well-being and livelihood of communities living around forest areas; this is why WCS put communities first,” Mr Imong said.

Similarly, George Oben-Etchi, chairman, Cross River Forestry Commission, noted that the Cross River National Park harbours the state’s biodiversity and forest.

Mr Oben-Etchi, represented by Clement Omina of the commission, noted that the lives of all the communities around the parks were intricately tied to the biodiversity and forests the state was endowed with.

He said that whatever errors or efforts had been put in place previously to ensure the protection of forest resources and biodiversity, the meeting would bring out new ways of positively relating to the environment.

Bette Obi, chairman, House committee on agriculture, forestry and biodiversity in the state assembly, commended the organisers for the programme, and noted that illegal mining in Cross River was becoming a challenge.

Ms Obi (Boki 1 State Constituency) added that more efforts in the sensitisation and enforcement of regulations were necessary for the communities to curb the problems of illegal mining in the state.

The meeting, which was well attended by traditional rulers from forest communities, also witnessed participants brainstorming solutions to tackle the depletion in Cross River.

(NAN)