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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Cross River has lost over 200,000 hectares of forest to deforestation and degradation, forcing the state government to validate a new Land Use and Land Cover Map to save what remains and protect its cocoa, coffee and oil palm exports to Europe.
The map, validated at a stakeholders’ workshop in Calabar, is designed to prove to European buyers that Cross River’s commodities are not grown on deforested land, as required by the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Speaking at the workshop, organised in collaboration with Pula Advisors, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and the State Forestry Commission, the Country Director of Pula Advisors, Dr Michael Enahoro, said the loss poses a serious threat to environmental sustainability.
“There are over 200,000 hectares that have either been degraded, or we have lost. So deforestation is a real issue. And you have to strike a fine balance between food and forests,” he said.
Enahoro said the mapping followed extensive research, including geospatial mapping, ground-truthing and polygon mapping of more than 19,000 farms.
He said the initiative would provide accurate land-use data, promote responsible farming and position Cross River to comply with the EUDR, which requires agricultural commodities exported to Europe to be traceable to their sources.
He identified agroforestry, which involves growing crops under tree cover, as the key strategy for balancing food production with forest conservation without destroying forests.
But beyond the map, the state is also moving against those destroying the forest.
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The Chairman of the Cross River State Forestry Commission, Dr George Oben Etchi, raised the alarm over logging cartels, accusing some community leaders and government officials of conniving with illegal loggers to exploit forest reserves.
He alleged that some communities invite outsiders to log trees under the guise of government-approved activities, and only report the loggers when they fail to pay agreed annual sums.
“If the community shield you, we’ll go after them,” Etchi warned, adding that the commission would pursue not only illegal loggers but also communities shielding them.
He disclosed that the government was working on stricter forestry laws with stiffer penalties, including clear conditions for tree felling, minimum tree sizes, approved grades and mandatory consent of host communities.
He warned that continued destruction could worsen climate change and expose the state to flooding and other environmental disasters.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Johnson Ebokpo, said the updated map was part of the state’s seven-year agricultural development roadmap for cocoa, coffee and oil palm, initiated in 2024.
He said the roadmap included a traceability system, updated land-use data and enforcement of agricultural grades and standards to improve competitiveness and allow farmers to secure direct export contracts with international buyers.
Ebokpo urged stakeholders to examine the maps, identify errors and make corrections before the document was submitted to Governor Bassey Otu for consideration and subsequent legislative processes.
