The country needs thriving ecosystems including lowland rainforests, mangroves and swamps, to meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, especially the aspects that deal with the wellbeing of the masses.
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, stressed the point in a release made available to newsmen.
According to the NCF, a viable forest ecosystem provides clean water, protects watersheds, controls erosion and serves as a buffer for preventing natural disasters like flooding, thereby eliminating obstacles to the attainment of the SDGs.
The foundation noted that the current global drive for climate change adaptation and mitigation depends entirely on sustainable forest management.
It said another important benefit of forests is curtailing the rate of deforestation and land degradation as forests play critical role in climate mitigation.
NCF explained that forests contain one of the largest carbon pools and have a significant function in the global carbon cycle.
Making reference to the Finima Nature Park, it highlighted that “It contributes to biodiversity resources management.
“Finima Nature Park is located within the Finima community in Bonny Island Rivers State. Finima Nature Park established in 1999, is approximately 35 Km southeast from the capital.
“The park area has a climate typical for much of Nigerians’ coastal states, in terms of annual rainfall, dry season, mean annual temperatures, which are consistent with other coastal locations throughout the year.
“The reserve area covers the rain forest and mangrove swamps, as well as an ecologically important area of sandy soil with fresh water ponds and tall timber between the swamps and the beach. The reserve is home to some wildlife species of high conservation value, bird species , a variety of mammals e.g hippopotamus, Mona monkey and reptiles, such as crocodiles, snakes and monitor lizards.
“Finima Nature Park is home to a number of species classified by International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable or critically endangered”, NCF added.
