By Emmanuel O. Akindele
Nigeria’s population growth – at a rate of more than 2.5% a year – is indirectly driving all kinds of environmental degradation. There is an incessant demand for more space for people to live in and use. One of the consequences is the destruction of forests. Forests that are close to water, known as riparian forests, tend to be most vulnerable.
Access to a watercourse has often informed the choice of human settlement or activity. Needing a year-long supply of water for their crops, farmers often convert riparian forests to agricultural lands. In many cases, especially in the dry season, such farmlands encroach almost into the waterways.
Other kinds of business also need a source of water. In Nigeria, car-wash centres are often sited along rivers and streams where forests once existed. Block-making operations, too, are often situated close to waterways. Read more…
