Forests are more than trees

 A Great Heritage

The forests of CRS are globally recognised as one of the richest sites for biodiversity in Africa. It has

been documented that they harbour an enormous

diversity of plant and animal species almost

 

unmatched anywhere else in the world. In

recognition of this, the governments and international

 

agencies have heavily invested in the Cross River State Forestry Department since in the 1990s and

 

have also assisted in the establishment of Cross River National Park. The UN has also recognised the

 

forests as important in terms of cooling the planet.

  

Cross River State is home to highly

 

threatened species including Cross River

gorilla, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, drill

monkeys and many others.

The forests here host about 1,568 plant species,

of which 77 are endangered including

medicinal plants and orchids. Two new species of orchids were found to be unique to Cross River

forests: Tridactyle sp nov. and Hebenaria sp nov.


Rainforests provide livelihood for over 1 million indigenous people living in and around Akpabuyo,

Bakassi, Akampka, Yakurr, Obubra, Etung, Ikom, Boki and Bekwara LGAs. 2,400 indigenous forest

communities comprising about 1.5 million people.
Watersheds inside Ekuri forest supply water to over 200,000 people. Communities have managed

 

their forests with due care and for being excellent custodians of original bio-diversity and forest life,

 

the Ekuri forest community earned the United Nations 2004 Equator Award for Earth Conservation.

 

One third of primate species found in Africa are located in these forests. Has an estimated 20 per cent

 

of the world’s butterfly species with 100 of these being endemic and with 3 being new to science.

Fresh water swamps with valuable mangroves  

Great threats

Forests are lost mostly through:

                 Deforestation

                 Illegal or uncontrolled logging

                 Land use changes, including conversion into plantations

                 Farming

                 Human settlements

                 Infrastructural development, including through the   construction of highways

 

 

All rights of occupancy within a 20 km wide strip of land over the proposed 260 km route were

 

revoked through a Notice of Revocation of Rights of Occupancy for Public Purpose Land Use Act

 

1987, published on 22nd January 2016 in the Cross River government newspaper, the

Weekend Chronicle. All communities

in this land corridor are subject to displacement and

loss of access to their land. The total area that

government has taken away from the people is 5,200sq

km, or about an incredible 25% of the state’s total area.

 

Federal highways are built to standards of  the Federal

 

Highways Act of 1971, with a total road right-of-way

 

extending to 50 meters on each side of the centreline of

 

the road. Sometimes this may extend to 100 metres, but

 

it is unthinkable that this can be extended to

 

10,000 metres on either side of the highway.