Nigeria is losing about four million hectares of forest each year to deforestation, according to First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited.
The revelation came on Tuesday at the launch of the Afforestation Livelihood Enhancement Carbon Sequestration Project in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, a five-year initiative to plant 550,000 trees in 11 communities in Brass and Southern Ijaw local government areas.
The project, a partnership between NNPCL/First E&P, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, and the Bayelsa State Government, aims to restore degraded land, enhance biodiversity, and provide sustainable livelihoods.
Anita Edo-Osagie, Deputy General Manager, Corporate Business Relations and Stakeholder Engagement at First E&P, said Nigeria’s mangrove forests and 309 species are under threat, warning that without urgent action, the country could lose its remaining forest cover by 2050.
She said the first year of the project will focus on raising seedlings, followed by intensive planting in years two, three, and four.
The initiative will also introduce alternative livelihoods, raise grassroots awareness, and strengthen policy frameworks for conservation.
Edo-Osagie noted that deforestation, driven by agricultural expansion, logging, and rapid urbanization, has already wiped out 70 to 80 per cent of Nigeria’s original forest cover.
She warned that the loss of mangroves threatens natural fish nurseries, storm protection, and cultural heritage in coastal communities.
Bayelsa State Government Secretary, Prof Nimibofa Ayawei, said the initiative aligns with the state’s measures to curb deforestation, particularly in mangrove areas, where replacement planting is now encouraged.
The Director, Technical Programmes at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Adedamola Ogunsesa, said the project will merge indigenous knowledge with science to improve livelihoods while conserving flora and fauna.
King Theophilus Moses, speaking for the participating KEFFESO communities, pledged that they will sustain the project after its five-year implementation phase.
