Tree Planting Solution To Climate Change - FME

Mr. John Auta, the Acting Director, Forestry Department, Federal Ministry of Environment, has said that tree planting was the primary solution to climate change.

Auta, who made this known in an interview with the newsmen in Abuja said tree planting was the major strategy to addressing climate change in Nigeria.

He said: “Carbon trading is one of the major products of afforestation’’, noting that Nigeria had not met the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) recommendation of 26 per cent forest cover to nations.

Auta said that environmental problems such as desertification and erosion could best be controlled by afforestation.

He attributed the continuous effect of climate change to massive deforestation, stressing that human-induced global deforestation was responsible for 18 to 25 per cent of global climate change.

“Tree planting, be it economic or ornamental, can reduce the effect of climate change to its barest minimum, due to carbon trading.”

The acting director decried the attitude of the public toward afforestation, pointing out that the recent distribution of trees to states for afforestation did not yield the desired goal.

“We have distributed millions of trees to states for people to plant but the people are demanding for money before they plant.

“It appears some of these people do not appreciate the importance of afforestation and I believe that they are the same people that will benefit from the programme. ’’

He cautioned against reckless felling of trees for timber, stressing that the continuous deforestation would lead to loss of some of the forest species.

“The essence of giving large portion of land for vegetation is to produce good environment that is healthy for human habitation.