Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Professor Aliyu Jauro has proposed the planting of Rosewood to save the trees from going into extinction due to high rate of illicit trade.
He stated this during a courtesy call to Daily Trust Headquarters, along with some directors of the agency recently,noting that the ban on Rosewood has helped to reduce the flow of illegal trade on the wood.
He said: “I am looking out for ways in which we can start planting Rosewood, although the species is hard to grow, because if you plant 500 you may be lucky to have about 5 or 10 survive.”
He said the regulation is that before you cut a tree you must have planted more trees.
While noting that Rosewood is the most sought after timber at the moment, because the species is preferred for wood product and medicinal purposes, he said that was why the Chinese were invading the markets.
He said NESREA, having the mandate to enforce environmental laws, rules and regulations, has over the years developed a total number of 33 regulations which include those on biodiversity, emission and waste among others to ensure a cleaner environment for Nigeria.
On biodiversity, he said because Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the agency has a regulation on making sure that wildlife and plants are preserved in partnership with sister agency, the National Parks Service.
He said wildlife, like elephants, hippopotamus and crocodiles, are leaving their abode due to climate change and coming close to humans and “what we do in situations like this, is to involve the relevant authorities to pick them up and ensure they are safe. In most cases we give them to zoos that indicate interest.”
On donkeys facing extinction because of the high trade on their skin for medicinal purpose, he said the animal was not wildlife but that something needs to be done. He said the Ministry of Agriculture will need to be contacted to avoid the extinction of the animal.
On violation of the environment, he said: “We prosecute anyone who is involved in any activity that is harmful to the environment. So we must ensure that we secure the environment by doing the right thing.”
The NESREA boss, however, said many people and firms have been prosecuted for violating the law, adding that a Chinese company that was recently shut by the agency, is now following the due process of getting an environmental impact assessment done.
He said though there is a law backing the establishment of charcoal companies, they need a permit to operate but they will have to ensure that before they cut a tree they have plantedmany trees.
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