Conservator-General: Nigeria Loses 300 Hectares Of Forest Daily

Nigeria is losing close to 300 hectares of forest reserves daily as security operations dislodged over 4,000 illegal miners from Gashaka-Gumti National Park in Taraba and Adamawa States.

The conservator-general of the National Park Service, Ibrahim Goni, who disclosed this in Abuja, identified illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, banditry and kidnapping as major threats to the country’s forests and protected areas.

Goni spoke when members of the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) visited the service’s headquarters. He called for stronger media collaboration to expose environmental crimes and draw the

government’s attention to the growing threats to biodiversity and conservation.

He said the scale of forest destruction was alarming, warning that the continued depletion of forest reserves could accelerate desertification and worsen environmental degradation across the country.

The conservator-general disclosed that the National Park Service, working with the Nigerian Army, had shut down two illegal mining sites in Gashaka-Gumti National Park, resulting in the closure of extensive mining pits and the dislodgement of more than 4,000 miners.

He, however, warned that tackling illegal mining required more than security operations, stressing the need for government interventions to provide alternative livelihoods for communities whose economic activities depended on exploiting protected areas.

Goni also raised concerns over illegal mining in Oyo State, saying the service was working with the Ministry of Solid Minerals to address the situation. He further cited the arrest of about 17 miners in Rivers State as part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal mining.

According to him, the security challenges confronting national parks could not be tackled in isolation because criminal activities in adjoining forests often undermined operations within protected areas.

He explained that even when security agencies successfully dislodged criminal elements from a national park, neighbouring forests could provide alternative hideouts, making sustained security operations and inter-agency cooperation necessary.

The Conservator-General commended the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies for their efforts to contain insecurity and protect vulnerable areas. However, he maintained that stronger collaboration among relevant institutions remained critical to safeguarding the country’s natural resources.

On wildlife trafficking, Goni said Nigeria was frequently implicated in international trafficking networks because smugglers used the country as a transit route to seaports.

He explained that wildlife specimens were moved from neighbouring countries, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon, through Nigeria for onward transportation to other destinations.

To combat the practice, he disclosed that the Nigeria Customs Service, National Park Service, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and Nigeria Police Force had established an inter-agency committee to tackle illegal wildlife trafficking.

The committee, he said, had conducted raids that resulted in the seizure of live animals, carcasses and other wildlife specimens.

Goni called for sustained collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the media to expose trafficking networks, improve public awareness and strengthen accountability in the protection of endangered species.

He said the expansion of the national park system was part of efforts to restore degraded vegetation, protect wildlife and strengthen Nigeria’s response to climate change.

According to him, the country now had 17 national parks, although only 13 were operational, compared with seven before the establishment of 10 additional parks during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He explained that the expansion was intended to support vegetation regeneration in areas previously designated as forest or game reserves and contribute to Nigeria’s environmental and climate commitments.

The Conservator-General urged environmental journalists to give greater attention to forest destruction, illegal hunting, pollution, flooding, erosion and other ecological challenges, noting that sustained reporting could help mobilise public support and encourage appropriate government responses.

He also disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Environment had introduced flood-warning equipment in several parts of the country to alert vulnerable communities to impending floods and enable residents to move to safer locations.

Goni further urged journalists to educate the public on Ebola prevention and the relationship between wildlife and the transmission of certain infectious diseases. He also pledged the service’s readiness to support professional training and conference participation for environmental correspondents within its budgetary provisions.

Earlier, EMCAN Chairman Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah said the association was seeking stronger working relationships with environmental agencies to bridge information gaps and improve coverage of the sector.

Adah, whose association has more than 35 members, lamented that only three or four media organisations regularly covered the activities of the National Park Service, a situation she said limited public awareness of the agency’s responsibilities and conservation initiatives.

She said the association’s new leadership, elected about two months earlier, had made engagement with relevant environmental institutions a priority to ensure that correspondents had better access to information and could report more effectively on developments in the sector.

According to her, improved communication between the service and the media would help Nigerians better understand the role of national parks in protecting wildlife, preserving forests and safeguarding the country’s natural heritage.

The meeting ended with a commitment by both parties to strengthen cooperation and improve public awareness of conservation challenges and the activities of the National Park Service.