The Director, Forestry
Department, Ministry of Environment, Mr Salisu Dahiru, has said that plans were under way to domesticate a variety of animal species that are attractive to hunters, to discourage bush burning.
Dahiru told newsmen in Abuja recently that the move became necessary to check incessant bush burning by hunters which deplete and degrade the environment.
He said that the idea was part of the country’s 2013 guidelines on Community-Based Forest Management, designed to ensure proper preservation of the forests.
“Today, we know that you can domesticate a large number of animal species that provide protein that are attractive to hunters.
“Whether it is hunting for antelopes or they are hunting for these giant rats or for rabbit or for guinea fowl.
“All these animals can be domesticated and be produced locally, individually and collectively.
“Individually, by people with very small capital or collectively, in form of small cooperatives or small community holdings.
“And if they like, they can still prepare them in that traditional way to still provide bush meat,’’ Dahiru said.
He said that the animals would have no adverse effect on the consumers.
Dahiru said that the policy provided for additional capacity building, to create further awareness and mobilise communities to be able to organise themselves toward better understanding of the dynamics of forests.
He said enlighten them on how to do participatory enforcement of regulations toward safeguarding and managing the forest.
“Some of the key success factors of this Community-Based Forest Management is adopting a participatory approach and providing alternative livelihood.’’
The director stated that people needed to understand the demerits associated with use of bush burning for hunting.
“The benefits you are getting from bush meat is very small compared to the damage these fires are doing to the environment by promoting deforestation and desert encroachment.’’
Dahiru said that the continuous depletion of the forests had made hunters to cover longer distances for hunting.
“In the past, you don’t have to go too far away before you can hunt and get these bush meats.
“Recently, some hunters who that went to hunt in south eastern states were arrested because they were seen with den guns and the rest; they were seen to be terrorists.
“You can see people now leave their areas to go and hunt for meat in other places because they have finished what they need to hunt in their place.
“So we need to look inwards and bring about innovative strategy that will address this issue,’’ Dahiru said.