As part of this year’s Wildlife Day celebrations, an expert in Wildlife Conservation and Professor of Biology and Environmental Conservation, Prof. Godfrey Akari has called on the State Government to conserve some key forests in the State.
Prof. Akari while speaking on the 2018 theme of World Wildlife day celebrations “The Big Cats” Predators Under Threat”, held at the Rivers State University on Monday noted that many animals were going extinct.
The University don pointed out that wild cats such as tigers leopards and lions were the most affected since they were key players in the food chain and ecosystem.
“People should be discouraged from killing them because they play a key role in balancing the ecosystem. They prevent overgrazing by the herbivores. When herbivores dominate a place they consume grass and this can lead to erosion and other ecological problems”.
Prof. Akari noted that many leopards and wild cats in most of the nation’s forests had been hunted, poached and used for their skins, teeth and skulls leading to their depletion.
In order to reverse the trend, the professor of Environmental Conservation at the Rivers State University said there were plans to send a proposal to the State Government to conserve some forests.
The proposal he further disclosed, would be aimed to press for the conservation of Andoni forest to protect elephants, and the Otamiri Forest that has lots of wild animals.
He lamented that the Otamiri Forest had been de-preserved and encroached upon due to poor government presence and protection.
“There are other areas that need to be protected, Between 1973-1974 the Rivers State made laws to protect some forests, but today they have been de-preserved as a result of encroachment”.
Proposing for a mini-zoo to be established in the State University, Prof. Akari said such facility would encourage more research into Biological and environmental studies.
The professor said time had come for state governments to seek for other economic base, as conservation could boost tourism, as being done in Kenya and other East – African countries, where wild life had become an economic resource.