The Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) has marked this year’s World Environment Day (WED) with a renewed call for tree planting beyond ceremonial actions. Professor Zacharia Yaduma, the Director-General of FRIN, spoke to Tribune Online after a seminar to mark the day was held at the Ibadan headquarters of the institute on Wednesday. It took place in collaboration with the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan.
This year’s celebration has the theme: ‘Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.’ He said, “The anthropogenic activities that have degraded the land should stop. We should avoid illegal felling of trees.
We should not encourage drought.” He added that planting of trees should not only take place to mark days like WED. “The important thing that we are encouraging is to plant trees in your neighbourhood.
It should be a continuous exercise. Trees are of so much benefit for the future,” the FRIN DG noted. During the seminar, Dr Tayo Oyelowo, an associate professor at FRIN and a forest ecology and conservation expert, presented a paper titled “Desertification, drought and Land Restoration in Nigeria.
” He said that desertification could occur in any part of Nigeria, noting that desertification was not limited to the North. He added that desertification was negatively affecting food security. Dr Oyelowo, however, noted that Nigeria was blessed to have lands that could naturally regenerate.
He said Nigeria has the potential for ecol.
