BENIN CITY- A panelist, Mr Austin Osakue has called on the Edo State Government led by Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to actualize on its vision of planting ten million trees to maintain the equilibrium of the natural environment during the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) organized 2021,World Environment Day, with the theme,”Ecosystem Restoration.”

With the observation by organizers and participants on the need to grow trees to boost effects on health, safety and environment with due maintenance of the ecosystem the event took a new dimension as organizers took participants and allies to the Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Benin, for first hand knowledge of nature at its pristine state.

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First was the guided tour to the “Arboretum” where trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. Next was the visit to the “Nursery” where indigenous and exotic seedlings are cultivated for preservation/propagation purposes aimed at reintroducing vulnerable and endangered tree species back into society. There was also a stopover at the Wildlife Taxidermy Laboratory showcasing the stuffings and mounting of skins of animals with life-like effect.

Even as participants breathed in gusts of fresh air walking under the shades of trees, Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo underlined the need for a State of Environmental Emergency for Ecosystem Restoration (SEEER) to preserve ecosystem and its services. He made the submission in a speech titled, “A State of Environmental Emergency for Ecosystem Restoration.