Onyebuchi Ezigbo And Chioma Umunna
3 October 2008
Abuja — The Federal Government has endorsed a new policy on forest management for the country . This is in a bid to meet the challenges posed by climate change.
This came as the Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Architect Halima Tayo Alao, sought the help of the World Bank in executing government's one billion tree planting project aimed at checking the effects of desertification and climate change in the country.
A source at the Federal Ministry af Environment, Housing and Urban Development said that the ministry is currently fine-tuning a draft forestry bill for onward submission to the National Assembly.
Under the new forest policy, organisations such as the civil societies, religious organisations, individuals and private sectors are to be encouraged to get involved in the forest plantations in all the ecological zones in the country.
THISDAY gathered that the policy would compel the oil companies to establish forest plantation in the remediated oil spill sites for recovery of lost land.
Alao, who met with a delegation of the World Bank on environment and natural resource management, requested the assistance of the apex finance body to implement the tree planting programme.
The Minister, while receiving in audience the delegation from the World Bank led by Dr. Herbert Acquay, explained that the trees will be required to mitigate the consequences of climate change, deforestation and land degradation.
She added that since the states are the custodians of forest reserves, the states are being involved in the project exercise.
The Minister also asked for the assistance of the World Bank in other sectors of the Environment such as Solid Waste Management Pollution Control and Climate Change.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Herbert Acquay, Programme Coordinator, Environment and Natural Resources, Africa Region stated that the team's visit was to sensitize the Ministry on the modalities of accessing assistance from the Environment and National Resources Programme of the World Bank.
He urged the ministry to list its priorities so as to enable the Bank identify areas of assistance.
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