As part of efforts to check climate change in Cross River State, a group, the Exquisite Royal Pearls Club, Ugep, has embarked on the planting of at least 500 trees in some parts of the state.
Speaking at the event, the chairperson, project committee, Teyojesam Sebastine-Eko, said there was a need for urgent action to address the growing threat of climate change in the community, adding that 500 trees have been planted in Ugep urban, with plans to increase the number and expand the initiative to other parts of the state.
According to her, tree planting is one of the most effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and check the dangerous impacts of climate change on the community.
Highlighting the economic benefits of tree planting, Sebastine-Eko stated that tree planting had the potential to provide a sustainable source of income for local communities, calling on residents to embrace the initiative by planting more trees in the community.
In her words, “We saw the need to protect our environment against the hazardous effects of climate change. And that is why we came up with this initiative to plant these economic trees.
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“We know that trees are very useful to combat climate change in our environment, especially now that there is so much deforestation going on in Ugep.
“Specifically, from August during our New Yam festival where trees are uprooted as part of the culture, to the population growth in Ugep which has caused a lot of trees to be cut down to give space for buildings that are coming up every day, more often than not, these trees are not replaced or replanted.
“Therefore, we saw a need for afforestation sensitisation and exercise, and that is how this project was birthed. We hope that this tree-planting exercise will set a positive tone for action against climate change in Ugep and its environs.
“Apart from that benefit, the trees will also sustain the livelihood of local farmers and indigenes of the community since they are economic trees whose fruits, in the not-so-distant future, can be harvested for sale.”
Story was adapted from The Sun
