In view to help tackle forest damage in Cross River State, an expert in environmental and Climate care who is also the zonal director, South-South for Earth Environment Climate Care Ambassadors (ECCA) Dr. Orok Edet has advised the State Forestry Commission to carry out a post-impact assessment on the State’s forest to know the extent of damage.
The advice came as a result of the meeting held in Calabar the State capital by the Cross River State Forestry Commission and its stakeholders, seeking sustainable forest management measures in restoring the forests of the State.
Dr Edet said post-impact assessment will help them know if the entire forest has been exploited and also expose what is happening in the environment, to conduct proper documentation on the status of the environment a lot of regulatory frameworks will be taking, he said.
The meeting which was organized by the new Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Dr George Oben Echi had in attendance the Commission and all the Stakeholders of the Commission including Timber dealers, Wildlife conservatives, National park administrators and others.
Dr Oben Echi while briefing newsmen after the meeting said, the Commission decided to engage the Stakeholders – the NGO, Civil societies and the rest in tackling the issue of forest damage in the State for them to contribute their own quota in archiving sustainable forest management in the State, after which the Communities will also be engaged.
He said people were illegally logging from the forest because of ban on logging, but with the lifting of the ban, the Commission can now be able to map out ways to achieve sustainable forest management. Making sure there is regeneration by raising nurseries across the State to replant the trees, he warned that the activities of the Commission will no longer be business as usual.
