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Published on September 25, 2019
Abstract
The Cross River Rainforest of South Eastern Nigeria is one of Africa’s last re-maining areas of pristine tropical high forest, extremely rich in a wide variety of flora and fauna species, and is among the twenty five biodiversity hotspots in the world. The forest has important biophysical properties which affect lo-cal, regional and global environmental quality. Using a combination of docu-ment research, GIS report, field observations, interviews and focus group dis-cussions, the study reveals that the ecological integrity of this forest is being seriously threatened by a myriad of human activities, such as unsustainable agricultural practices, illegal logging, population explosion/expansion of hu-man settlements, construction of highways, mining activities, and high unem-ployment/pressure on natural resources. All the above factors have combined to impact heavily on the depletion and extinction of valuable flora and fauna species in the region. Rigorous research-based innovative forestry and biodiversity policies and programmes, forest restoration initiatives, community-based forest management, and sustainable land use practices are recommended to save the Cross River Rainforest from total destruction.
Citation
Enuoh, O. O. O., & Ogogo, A. U. (2018). Assessing Tropical Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss in the Cross River Rainforest of Nigeria. Open Journal of Forestry, 8, 393-408.https://doi.org/10.4236/ojf.2018.83025
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