By Ijeoma Olorunfemi
Community leaders in Oban in Akamkpa, Cross River, say UNESCO’s biodiversity business training programme for them is timely, transformative and critical to preserving their depleting forest.
The leaders, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday at Akampa, said they were delighted to participate in the training meant for 12 communities within the Oban, Biosphere Reserve.
The training focused on fishery, poultry and piggery biodiversity businesses.
It was organised by the Nigeria-UNESCO it is entitled “Biodiversity Business in Omo Biosphere Reserve, Oban Biosphere Reserve and Shere Hills Reserve, Nigeria”, A Means to Poverty Reduction, Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Nigeria.
His Royal Highness, Ignatius Ndifon, Traditional Ruler of Oban Community, said the training enlightened the people on the economic and environmental values of their natural resources.
“I feel delighted about this programme because it has helped us understand how much we are losing due to ignorance.
“Outsiders come into our area, exploit our resources, make profits and develop their own communities while we remain poor,” Ndifon said.
According to him, the community has now resolved to protect its forest lands and revive traditional land-use systems that promote sustainability.
“Our forefathers preserved this forest and it must not be destroyed in our generation,’’ he said.
Mr Innocent Osang, the leader of Ojok community, said the training addressed the root causes of indiscriminate forest exploitation and its impact on the environment.
“This training is designed to make us stop indiscriminate exploitation of our forest so that we can preserve it for our children and generations to come.
“Our streams are drying up because of bush burning and logging near water sources.
“Big thank you to UNESCO for this training that will impact our lives and help our people engage in sustainable businesses rather than over exploiting the forest,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Ebenezer Ngwu, the leader of Orem community, described the initiative as the first of its kind in Cross River State.
Ngwu suggested that community level forest regulations could be developed in collaboration with the local government authorities to strengthen conservation efforts.
“We can form Sustainable Forest Management Committees to check illegal logging and other harmful practices in our forest,” Ngwu said.
Mr. Boniface Ita, the leader of Old Ekuri Community, said the training was a life-changing one that would help communities to become economically reliant without encroaching into the forest resources.
“We have been made to understand that the forest gives life, we should try to preserve it and many things that give man life come from the forest, this training has taught us how to manage them better,” Ita said.
On his part, Mr Augustin Ndifon, Nsofang community leader, said the training had inspired collective action to frown at indiscriminate logging within the biosphere reserve.
The programme is sponsored by the India-UN Development Partnership Fund and implemented in collaboration with Nigerian Man and Biosphere (MAB) committee, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) and the National Park Service.
The benefiting communities are Old Netim, Nsan, Obung, Ojor, Nsofang, New Ekuri, Old Ekuri, Neghe, Oban, Osomba, Orem and Ojok. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)