Cross River lost 14,000 hectares of rainforest in 2025, releasing 8 million tonnes of CO2, says conservator

vanguardngr.com

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

Cross River State in Nigeria lost 14,000 hectares of tropical rainforest in 2025, according to the Conservator of Cross River National Park, Joseph Ntui. That loss released an estimated 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Ntui spoke at a conference in Calabar, warning that deforestation is driving biodiversity loss and worsening floods in the region. The park, established in 1991, covers about 4,000 square kilometers and hosts endangered species like the Cross River gorilla and forest elephants. Management deploys 250 armed rangers for patrols, but illegal logging and mining continue. The Executive Director of We the People, Ken Henshaw, said the state's 2010 forestry law is outdated and does not address climate change. A review process has produced recommendations to modernize forest governance. For carbon markets and climate policy observers, this is a concrete example of deforestation emissions in a high-biodiversity forest. The gap between enforcement capacity and actual forest loss highlights the challenge of protecting tropical carbon stocks without stronger legal frameworks and community engagement.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

14,000 hectares in one year is a lot for a single state. That 8 million tonnes of CO2 figure is worth checking against typical rainforest carbon stock estimates, but the scale alone is worrying.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions illegal logging is organized with foreign interests. That is the kind of detail that matters for any REDD+ or carbon credit project in the region.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

250 armed rangers for 4,000 sq km. That is one ranger per 16 sq km. Hard to patrol effectively at that density. Enforcement numbers matter as much as policy text.

news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 pts

They are also calling the 2010 forestry law obsolete because it says nothing about climate change. That is a concrete policy gap that could be fixed with amendments.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The law review recommendations came from months of consultations. That process could serve as a template for other states. But implementation is the hard part.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Illegal mining is also mentioned as a growing threat. That adds a different driver beyond logging. Mining in forests creates long term soil and water damage.