- By Emmanuel Oluwadola
Forests and trees play crucial roles in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and the emergence of new diseases, while strengthening sustainable economies.
This was the submission of Professor Alaba Emmanuel Gbadamosi, a Silviculture and Plant Biotechnology expert, during the recent 22nd Inaugural Lecture at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.
Delivering the lecture titled: “The Earth’s Heating Mantle: Forest To The Rescue,” Prof. Gbadamosi highlighted that forests at local, regional, and global levels contribute to the earth’s ability to maintain its climate by absorbing greenhouse gases and releasing oxygen into the environment.
He said: “Forests play important ecological roles both locally and at regional levels. They avert soil erosion, enhance watershed management, and act as a water filter to replenish underground aquifers. They also serve as windbreaks and shields for buildings, and ameliorate the climate by enhancing atmospheric humidity via perspiration/evapotranspiration, which affects rainfall and temperature.”
Gbadamosi called for effective measures to halt human activities such as bush burning and deforestation, among other factors predisposing the planet Earth to severe global warming.
He added that adapting forest management practices will help provide valuable ecosystem services, support local communities, and contribute to the global fight against climate change.
“Environmental deterioration is contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss, and the emergence of new diseases. Forests and trees can play crucial roles in addressing these crises and moving towards sustainable economies. Therefore, there must be an urgent halt to deforestation activities, maintenance of forests, restoration of degraded lands, expansion of agroforestry, and embracing sustainable use of forests.
“The forest, being a biological concept, could be redeemed with proper and appropriate interventions to play its ameliorative role on the climate of the digital generation and save the earth from excessive heat. The commitment of world leaders who determine the policy direction and hold the checkbooks in mitigating the impact of climate change is crucial if we must reverse the ugly trend of increasing earth’s temperatures.”
Gbadamosi further discouraged the common burning of refuse, tyres, fuelwood, and debris, stressing that it emits thick black smoke into the atmosphere, causing carbon imbalance, increasing greenhouse gases, and heating the planet Earth.
Read Also: Time has preserved Awo’s principles, legacies – Tinubu
He recommended that students should be encouraged to study Forestry and all its components as a profession, and governments at the national and state levels should form a synergy towards reviving the moribund paper mills scattered all over Nigeria and stop the capital flight in importation of pulp and paper products.
“Bring back robust and efficient State Forestry Services to adequately control and police the forest estate under their respective jurisdiction, especially the exploitation of resources of such forests. Our forests should be revenue bases and not dens for kidnappers and murderers!
“We don’t have another earth than this; public enlightenment on the dangers of bush burning should be intensified, and appropriate punishment of imprisonment and heavy fines should be meted out to arsonists who set bushes and forests on fire, destroying monumental resources in the guise of hunting for wild animals.
“Farmers should embrace Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in order to survive the changing climatic conditions. Strategies such as conservation and domestication of useful species, paradigm shift in focus in forest management, and re-establishment of Strict Nature Reserve (SNR) will help in mitigating the effect of climate change on forest regeneration,” he said.
