By Efio-Ita Nyok
The rustle of ancient mahogany leaves in the wind and the cries of the Cross River gorilla should reverberate throughout the Oban hills on a humid August morning. Rather, the sound of chainsaws whining fills the air. By the side of the road, logs, some as wide as a car, are piled up in anticipation of trucks heading to borders and ports.
Cross River State, which contains about half of Nigeria’s surviving forests, has long served as a biodiversity sanctuary. It is currently the focal point of one of the most serious environmental crises facing the nation.
Between 2001 and 2023, the state lost 134,000 hectares of tree cover, an 11% decrease in just over 20 years, according to Global Forest Watch (2024). With the loss of 7,590 hectares in 2020 alone, an estimated 4.51 million tonnes of CO₂ were released into the atmosphere. These figures are more than just statistics; they tell the tale of a rainforest that formerly occupied 61% of Cross River’s land area but is rapidly turning green, endangering both species and customs.
A Biodiversity Treasure Under Siege
Cross River’s forests are more than just trees—they are living vaults of genetic diversity, home to species found nowhere else on Earth. The critically endangered Cross River gorilla, drill monkeys, forest elephants, pangolins, and the elusive Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee all dwell here. The lush vegetation regulates the climate, safeguards watersheds, and sustains an ecotourism sector that, though underdeveloped, holds vast potential.
However, environmental specialists caution that the state’s biodiversity loss has escalated to dangerous proportions. According to Emmanuel Owan of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), “if we continue at the current rate, we risk losing these species within our lifetime.” “Once gone, they’re gone forever—not just for Cross River, but for the world.”
Root Causes: Policy Failure and a Profit Web
Illegal logging, mining, agricultural expansion, and poor governance are the main causes of deforestation in Cross River.
* Illegal Logging: Despite a logging ban in 2008, the chainsaws never stopped. Sometimes, local partners work with foreign interests to extract exotic wood species, such as ebony and rosewood, and smuggle them out through porous borders. Understaffed and underfunded local forestry officials struggle to respond to these operations, which frequently leave behind degraded land and damaged rural roads.
* Agricultural Expansion: Driven by the strong demand for cocoa and oil palm, plantations are consuming forest land. Although they boost the economy, they are unable to replace the natural rainforest’s ecological services, which include wildlife habitat, soil protection, and carbon storage.
* Illegal Mining: Small-scale but rampant mining for gold and other minerals inside forest reserves is eroding hillsides, polluting rivers, and displacing communities.
* Policy Weakness: The 2010 Forestry Commission Law, which sought to promote sustainable management, is now out of date and unprepared to handle the demands of the twenty-first century, such as illicit mining, climate change, and the global timber trade.
*Indigenous Groups: Protectors in Danger Due to cultural taboos against overharvesting, indigenous communities such as those in Boki, Akamkpa, and Obanliku have been acting as guardians of the forest for centuries. These days, their protective role is being undermined by market forces and political neglect.
“When the forest goes, our history goes with it,” says 62-year-old Chief Etim of a village in Boki. “The trees serve as our food store, pharmacy, and temple.” We are strangers in our own country without them. These communities are displaced due to the loss of their land rights as well as deforestation. Customary ownership is frequently superseded by extensive mining and agricultural concessions, leaving the locals helpless and unpaid.
The Bigger Picture: Cross River in the Nigerian Context
With a startling national deforestation rate of 3.5%, Nigeria loses 400,000 hectares of forest every year. Cross River reflects the larger crisis even though it still has more natural cover than most states. The Niger Delta states—like Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa—have seen their mangrove forests severely degraded by urbanization and oil.
However, the mangroves along the river estuaries are currently in danger due to firewood harvesting and urban encroachment, making Cross River’s forests unique in that they are both terrestrial and coastal. Fisheries, storm protection, and carbon storage are all negatively impacted by the loss of these mangroves.
Changes in Policy and Global Pressure
Despite being praised at the time for its audacity, the 2008 logging ban was unable to stop the loss of forests. The state government acknowledged its futility and formally lifted it in 2023. Critics claim that the lack of enforcement and alternate sources of income, rather than the law itself, was the issue. New incentives for change are now being created by international trade. Cocoa and other commodities entering the European market must be “deforestation-free” in accordance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which goes into effect in December 2024.
Given that Cross River is a significant cocoa-growing state, this might compel a shift to more environmentally friendly farming practices. Traceability systems are already being tested to track the origins of cocoa beans through collaborations between the Wildlife Conservation Society and satellite monitoring companies.
Civil Society Takes Action
The Civil Society Coalition for Environmental Justice and Forest Conservation, a network of NGOs, activists, and community leaders with its headquarters at NCF Calabar, was established in February 2025.
The coalition is advocating for:
*The Forestry Commission Law should be updated to reflect contemporary threats.
*Illegal miners and loggers should face harsher penalties.
*Ecotourism and non-timber forest products should be promoted as alternate sources of income.
Creating community forest guards, prohibiting mining in forest reserves, and allocating a portion of state funds to reforestation initiatives were among the suggestions made at the 3rd Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Deforestation in July 2025 organized by WeThePeople.
Why Every Cross Riverian Should Care About This
The issue of deforestation affects more than just trees; it also affects food security, cultural survival, women and public health. Flooding is made more likely by the loss of forests, especially in low-lying coastal areas like Akpabuyo and Calabar South. In a state that is already susceptible to coastal erosion, it diminishes pollination services for crops, depletes watersheds that supply farms, and speeds up the effects of climate change.
Another industry suffering is tourism, which has the potential to produce steady revenue. Few visitors are willing to pay to enter a forest reserve that resembles a massive building site.
A Way Ahead: From Chainsaws to Conservation
The path ahead is not easy, but it is feasible. Multi-layered solutions are required:
* Strengthen Enforcement: Give the Forestry Commission the tools and training it needs to keep an eye on and bring criminal charges against violators.
* Empower Communities: Support community-led conservation initiatives and acknowledge the rights of indigenous peoples to their land. Worthy of mention is the Strengthening Women in Mining (SWIM) initiated facilitated by WeThePeople where women from 5 mining communities of Akansoko, Akwa Ikot Effanga, Abiati, Mfamosing and Mbobui all in Akamkpa and Akpabuyo Local Government Areas of Cross River state were hosted and empowered. This can be replicated across the Niger Delta states of the country.
* Sustainable Agriculture: Increase the use of cocoa systems that grow in the shade and incorporate trees with crops.
* Ecotourism Development: Make Cross River a destination for ecotourism by showcasing its unique wildlife and scenery.
* Mangrove Protection: Make investments in alternative fuels for coastal communities and enforce prohibitions on extensive mangrove harvesting. The clock is ticking away.
Within a generation, Cross River’s rainforests might be reduced to fragmented patches at the current rate of deforestation. The loss would be irreversible in terms of culture, economy, and spirituality in addition to the environment. “If you cut the last tree, you have cut your own shadow,” as Chief Etim states.
The question is whether Cross River will take action while the forest is still intact or if it will eventually be remembered as a warning story of environmental collapse on a worldwide scale.
