It is definitely celebration time for environment stakeholders especially the Federal Ministry of Environment now that Nigeria has been granted the green light to benefit from the $4 million (N600 million using official rate) from the United Nations (UN) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme.
Nigeria has initiated pilot programmes on two related Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) strategies that seek to ensure that REDD activities do not have adverse impact on non-carbon interests.
These entail the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SESs) as well as the Participatory Governance Assessments (PGAs), which are being operated in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offices in Abuja.
Nearly a year after an agreement involving the Federal Government and a duo of environmental management firms was finalised, fears are being expressed over the prospects of the accord, which appears to be mired.
Last September, officials of the Federal Environment Ministry and the Global Oxygen Development Corporation New York/UNISPACE Nigeria Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop forests carbon projects in the country, as well as establish a carbon centre for the West African region.
Despite a whole range of national efforts, Nigeria’s environmental performance on the global scene still appears dismal. In fact, the 56.2 score recorded in a recent Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks the country 126th out of 149 nations surveyed.
Indeed, the low EPI figure puts Nigeria behind several other African countries like Mauritius (78.1), Egypt (76.3), Ghana (70.8), Kenya (69.0), South Africa (69.0) and Cameroon (63.8).
Togo, Nigeria and Ghana have the biggest rates of deforestation out of 65 nations, according to a study described by its authors as the most comprehensive analysis of tropical forests.
IBADAN, NIGERIA (7 April 2011)—Low-input farming for cocoa, cassava and oil palm has resulted in widespread deforestation and degredation of West Africa's tropical forest area, according to a new study by researchers at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). The study was published online this week in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Management.
IBIDAN, Nigeria, April 7 (UPI) -- Farming of crops like cocoa, cassava and oil palm has resulted in widespread deforestation and degradation of West Africa's tropical forest area, a study says.
Cocoa production in West Africa is an important economic activity and a source of income for about 2 million households in the region, and the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon account for 70 percent of global cocoa supply.
Nigeria’s high expectations at accessing funds to effectively kickstart its National Programme for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) were somewhat dashed last week in far away Da Lat, Viet Nam, where a gathering of experts took stock of the climate change mitigation strategy.
But an innovative interim funding grant to the nation along with hopes for a better tomorrow seems to serve as a welcome consolation to the beleaguered delegates.
As the world grapples with the challenges of feeding an ever-growing population, findings from a recent research by International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), showed that science-based farming methods integrating the systematic use of fertilizers by farmers can significantly reduce the need to clear forest land for agriculture.
Taraba State of Nigeria is aiming to becoming the second REDD Pilot State in the country after Cross River, which is on the verge of accessing funds set aside under the climate change mitigation programme.
However, while it took Cross River State several years to attain this status, Taraba, apparently riding the crest of the goodwill arising from the flagship Cross River agenda, intends to be REDD ready in a record six months.
