National Park Service set to establish mangrove forests in Bayelsa
Mangrove
By Ebere Agozie
Abuja, May 2, 2017 (NAN) The Nigeria National Park Service says it is set to establish mangrove forests in Bayelsa to curb depletion and loss of animal and plant species in the country.
Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator-General of the park service, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mangrove is a tropical tree that grows in mud or at the edge of rivers and sends roots down from its branches.
Goni said that over the years, incessant forest exploitation had resulted in the continued shrinking of Nigerian forests.
“Forest exploitation for agricultural development, fuel wood collection, sand excavation, mining, mineral exploitation, urbanisation and uncontrolled harvesting are not helping matters.
“Also, exploitation of some animals and plant species is high, just as trading in them is capable of heavily depleting their population while bringing some species close to extinction,” he said.
According to him, lack of awareness of the importance of forest was one of the factors leading to deforestation.
“It is therefore, the duty of all to ensure that the future generation enjoys and benefit of life’s bounty forest and its richness,’’ he said.
Goni explained that mangrove forests were extremely productive ecosystem that provided numerous goods and services to the marine environment and people.
“It is home to a large variety of plants, fish, crab, shrimp and mollusk species and serves as nurseries for animal species.
“Its woods are resistant to rot and insects, making it extremely valuable.
“The dense root system of mangrove forests trap sediments flowing down rivers and off land and also helps stabilise the coastline and prevents erosion from waves and storm, he said.
He listed other benefits of mangrove forests as water filtration, prevention of coastal erosion, coastal protection from storms, carbon storage, food, timber, and livelihood provision and biodiversity protection.
Goni added that mangrove was recognised as the first line of defence on the coast, and as such its precious value was enormous.
“There is therefore the need for prompt intervention and effective conservation to reverse the speedy rate of deforestation and contamination of the mangrove,” he added.
The conservator-general said that the service had put a good management tool in place to ensure protection of animals, plants, fauna and flora across its parks.
He called on the public to minimise activities that could lead to land degradation, soil fertility loss, deforestation, depletion of biodiversity and coastal and river bank erosion. (NAN)
EPA/KTO/EMO
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Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo/Ejike Obeta
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