NIGERIA’S DISAPPEARING PLANTS

 Government should establish botanical gardens to grow threatened species

A recent study that over 1000 vascular plants in Nigeria may be undescribed should be of interest to the academic community in the country. Researchers from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University published their findings in Annals of Botany. “Documenting the full account of plant diversity is essential for protecting threatened species and ensuring they can sustain human needs before they become extinct”, says lead researcher, Muellner-Riehl, a German professor who is also an iDiv Member. Without the description of species, it is difficult to ascertain whether they are endangered.

That there is no recent record of the status of plants and animal species in Nigeria has long been an issue. The last known documentation of the nation’s plants and animal species was done in 1992 by the Federal Environment Protection Agency (FEPA). The document titled ‘Biological Diversity in Nigeria: A Country Study’ states that two species of animals and 20 species of plants had become extinct since 1950. Contemporary record documented in the study shows that 305 species of plants are endemic, 48 species of animals and 431 species of plants are endangered; 16 species of animals and 45 species of plants are categorised as rare; 30 species of animals and 20 species of plants are vulnerable.

Meanwhile, according to most experts, Nigerian plants that are gravely depleted are species exploited for natural medicine and food, timber, woodcarving, cane furniture, dyes and cosmetics. This makes the call for government’s intervention in conservation efforts very important. However, it is also significant to mention here that the federal government has been able to attract significant foreign funding for its forest conservation initiative known as REDD+ even though without much result. Conceived by the United Nations to, among other things, reduce emissions that fuel climate change, REDD+ stands for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

According to a World Bank report, no fewer than 171 Nigerian plant species have been classified as endangered and vulnerable. These plant species of high medicinal and food value are harvested from our forests through commercial activities that cause rapid deforestation at about 400,000 hectares per annum. Experts have warned that their disappearance could disrupt the nation’s genetic resource with resultant threat to our biodiversity. Unfortunately, unlike animals, there is no national law or regulation that protects plant species that are treated as the private property of the landowner/community.

It is unfortunate that authorities in Nigeria are not paying attention to the fact that many plants and animals are going into extinction in the country. Perhaps because there is so much preoccupation with today there is hardly a thought about tomorrow. Yet, we need to stress the importance of the preservation of nature’s gifts for the future. Nigeria is located within the rainforest of tropical Africa, which extends from the coast of West Africa to the basin of River Congo. The area, as documented by conservationists, has about 8,000 species of which more than 80 per cent are endemic.

We urge the government, especially at the local and state levels, to encourage the establishment of botanical gardens and horticultural centres where these endangered plants would be grown. Many of these plant species usually grow in the wild but if they are cultivated, there would be sustainability. We also urge the concerned authorities to collaborate with our universities and research institutions so that plant species that are peculiar to the country be given names. But much more importantly, they should work with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to combat the threat to many of these local species in the interest of the country.