Cross River State Boki Rain forest, which covers 50% of the remaining rainforest in Nigeria and is also one of the world's greatest biodiversity hotspots, is at risk of losing its forest as various illegal logging activities are currently taking place and little or no effort has been put in place to stop these acts. The Cross River State Rainforest has been known to be the home of various species of plants and animals, some of which can only be found in Nigeria.

It is no news that forest preservation is crucial towards protecting biodiversity and mitigating climate change, which promotes goal 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 15 of the SDGs, target 15.2, states that we should "protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss". Forest loss does not only result in increased carbon emissions but also increases poverty, which goal 1 of the UN SDGs seeks to address. 

According to UN Statistics, Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for the greatest losses in forest areas between 1990 and 2015 due to conversion of forest to other uses such as agriculture and infrastructure development.We cannot over-emphasize the importance of forest reserves to achieving goals 1, 2, 13 and 15 of the UN SDGs. Turning a blind eye towards mitigating these threats and preserving the Boki forest might result in a complete loss of our natural heritage in the near future.

Photo Credit: Peter Martell