The Kwara Government has closed all forests in the state to launch tree planting and stop illegal activities in the forests.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Mr Aliyu Sherifdeen, announced this at a news conference on Monday in Ilorin.
“The closure of the forests includes all activities except farming. We are worried that indiscriminate activities in the forests will disrupt the state’s ecosystem and expose it to severe effects of climate change,” he said.
Sherifdeen said that government was also worried about the rate of deforestation for both legal and illegal purposes, such as charcoal and other wood products without commensurate regeneration.
“This is causing tremendous imbalance in our ecosystem and climate change,” he said.
The commissioner said the ministry had taken a bold step to close the forest for all kinds of activities for a period of three months, beginning from March 2 to May 31, 2020.
“This will enable us take stock of what is left of the natural endowment for further action and the inventory of what goes on therein.
“Consequently, all economic activities except farming are hereby suspended within the period, and offenders are liable to prosecution,” Sherifdeen said.
He added that at the end of the closure, all those who had any business to do with the forest were required to go to the ministry for fresh registration.
“This includes farmers whose farmlands are in excess of 25 hectares,” he said.
Sherifdeen said government would embark on massive tree planting to be flagged off by Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Minister of Environment, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar in May.
“The step is important to address the question of deforestation and climate change,” he said.
The commissioner said there is a policy of cut one tree and plant five, and for each new site being developed a number of trees should be planted.
“This has not been complied with totally.
“A strict adherence to this policy will have saved us and prevented the predicament of deforestation, but now the policy will be introduced at every local government area of the state,” Sherifdeen said.
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