Last updated on May 10th, 2017; Published on November 1st, 2016
Photo via WCS
I might have come a little late to the party because I am only just hearing about this now. The Cross River State government plans to construct a “superhighway” through the middle of the state in an effort to boost trade.
I would go into details about this project but at the moment, I am currently too overwhelmed to understand the extent of it, having spent a good part of the day searching for a justification and any word from the government regarding the conservation of the forest and the wildlife that call this place their home.
To put things in perspective, I’d highlight a few points to note;
- Cross River’s rainforest is one of the last remaining rainforests in Nigeria. According to this CNN report, less than 10% of Nigeria’s rainforests are still standing – more than 50% of that is in Cross River state.
- Rainforests are important to help regulate the earth’s climate by constantly absorbing carbon dioxide and recycling it into oxygen.
- Fewer than 300 Cross River gorillas exist in the wild today- WCS, 2016
- An estimated 5,000 species of flora and fauna call this place their home
- The National Park and wildlife reserves in this area contributes to Nigeria’s tourism sector
Why are we then destroying these areas rather than investing aggressively in them? I support urbanization but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment and wildlife. We need them more than they need us and that is why I have signed a petition to appeal to the government to protect the rainforests of the Ekuri people and the wildlife that live there. The link to the petition is here.
In the meantime, if you’d like to shed more light on this topic, please leave a comment below.
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