Deforestation is one of the oldest and continuous way in which man modifies his environment. It is an act of destroying or removing forest vegetation with little or no efforts to replace the harm and it invariably results in ecological imbalance or degradation. Deforestation is caused by overgrazing, expansion in agricultural land, firewood extraction, industrial activities and removal of the green cover by other related human activities.

It is also made worse by two main factors; the natural and manmade factors in today's contemporary world. However, manmade factors exert a high magnitude compared to natural factors. This is largely due to the increase in human population and economic growth occasioned by urbanization, agricultural and infrastructural development.

Borno state which is located in the desert region of the north-eastern part of Nigeria, borders around the Sahel savannah vegetation. The state is believed to be naturally affected by deforestation because it experiences less rainfall, high temperature and sparsely covered by vegetation due to its geographical location. Unlike other geographical regions of Nigeria such as the coastal areas comprising Calabar, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, the Sudan savannah of Bauchi, Plateau, Gombe and the Guinea savannah encompasses Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna among others. Transitional woodland also comprises states like Niger, Abuja, Nasarawa and Benue.

These regions record torrential rainfall, less temperature and are heavily covered by vegetation and other green covers due to their geographical locations.

The human factors also contribute immensely to deforestation in Borno state. Studies show that 84% of the populace rely solely on firewood for cooking. This observation also reveals that 57% of the total population have been using firewood for over 10 decades which is an indication that the activity of deforestation has been taking place for a long time.

[Consequences of deforestation]

The consequences of deforestation may have far reaching effects on human life. Mohammed Bukar Ngamdu, a lecturer in the Geography Department at the Bukar Abba Ibrahim University, Damaturu, Yobe State , ascertained that "timber exploitation, mostly from the high forest covering about 12.41 million hectares of the country's 91.1 million hectares of land space i.e. about 13.5% can disrupt forest stability and its ecosystem. The disturbance is not only in terms of its inability to regenerate through natural processes, but some species of trees and fauna are endangered".

The record of forestry research institute shows that at least 62 species, which constitute about 7% of the total number of species in Nigeria are endangered. The seriousness of this development is that timber species which form the base of the country's economy may soon be extinct. Thus, necessitating importation and loss of hard currency similar danger of extinction is faced by wildlife for which the forest provides natural habitat probably the clearest indication of danger wildlife faces is that even the Savannah environment which has given them some cover is disappearing and giving way to desert or new desert conditions.

To the rural inhabitant in Nigeria, the cause of the problem associated with deforestation lies with the shortage of firewood upon which they have relied for centuries, judging from the size of the rural population in Nigeria.

According to Dr. Ayuba H. K, a senior lecturer in the geography department, University of Maiduguri, in his book titled cultural Dynamics in resources utilization, "Conservation and Management Among Rural Communities in Borno" (2003), stated that forest reserves in Borno State are numerous and of varying sizes. A total of 83 consolidated forest reserves exist in the state making up a total land area of 3.5 - 4.0 square kilometre. The Sambiza forest reserve, being the largest forest reserve, has a total land area of 51839km. However, because of poor management, these reserves have suffered increasing degradation in the last three decades due to indiscriminate bush burning, empowerment by farmers, pastoralists and poaching of animals.

None of the above forms of forest land has proved to be effective in reserving trends in natural vegetal depletion by livestock, soil degradation, including tree grassing destroying your seedlings and cultivation of all lands with sufficient top soil. For instance, on the Biu Plateau, extensive deforestation is due to expanding cultivation and increasing demand for model products which has left even the steepest top unprotected. As a result, much of the annual rainfall is now lost in run off which provokes both flood damage to crop and severe soil erosion. Natural regeneration of indigenous trees is limited to protected areas, shrines and graveyards.

Efforts to promote reforestation and aforestation have had little impacts among the rural people. These efforts are constrained by farmer's reluctance to avert in land over which they have no security of ownership. Existing plantation strategy have focused on the promotion of exotic species with no consideration for grasses, multipurpose trees, poor survival rates of transplanted seedlings and cost of protection from grazing during the long dry season. The Director of Environment, Drought Development and Amelioration of the State Ministry of Environment, Musa Shettima, said that "the increase in the state's population has brought about demand for farmland, as a result of extensive clearing of lands. There is soil degradation accompanied by erosion. Some extensive clearing have extended illegally to the forest reserves where the trees have been used as firewood. The result is that such forest reserves when encroached upon, will no longer serve the purpose of protection of environment for which they were made. Forest plays an important part in food security in an environment. They are the principal source of genetic stocks from which food producing species derive. They contribute to the maintenance of both physical and biological environment condition favourable to food production and provide fruits, tubers and leaves for direct consumption".

Musa Shettima stresses further that, "the state government, under the leadership of Senator (Dr.) Ali Modu Sheriff, has planned some strategies to arrest and convert the problem of desertification, including the improvement of the environment in the state by embarking on rural forestry development through the production and supply of seedlings to individuals and organizations. Effort has also been made to develop of forest plantations and forest protection to restore the natural green cover such as poles, gum arabic, shea butter and tanning plantation. There is also a plan to protect the natural forest and the environment from fire. In fact, about two million tree seedlings are raised each year and distributed to communities and individuals".

Plans are also underway to provide alternative energy, apart from fire wood such as making kerosene affordable and available. Micro credit schemes were also introduced by the state government apart from the existing poverty alleviation programmes in order to make the community rich and can afford such alternative energy rather than the firewood. Experts are also working tirelessly to come up with a strategy that can help to provide a permanent settlement for nomads and to allocate some proportion of land for the grazing of their animals. This will go a long way to limit the improper use of wider areas by the nomads.

As an attempt to conserve water and soil moisture the state government has introduced what is known as "Contour farming" to ensure the growth of drought resistant crops across the state. High tariffs on firewood extraction and exploitation have been introduced and the full weight of the law will be enforced on any person caught on illegally extracting firewood.

Modu Busuma is of the Department of Mass Communications, University of Maiduguri.