In order to revamp the forestry and boost the agricultural sector, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), constituted a multi-disciplinary task committee with membership from research institutes, universities and private sector to carryout ethno-botanical survey of indigenous plant species. BINTA SHAMA reports.
Present public forest
The present public forest was acquired between 1900 and 1970 and embraces 100,000km or 11% of the total land area. The forest consists of 8 vegetation forest types, some of which are closely related. These include the Mangrove Forest, Freshwater swamp forest, Lowland rain forest, Derived savanna, Guinea savanna, Sudan savanna, Sahel savanna and Montane forest types. The dominant species in the mangrove forest is the red mangrove which belongs to the family Rhizophoraceae.
The principal species is Rhizophora racemosa which can attain a height of 45 m and a girth of 2 m at maturity. Other species are shrubby in nature and include Rhizophora harrisonii, and R. mangle L. which grow in dense tangle on higher and relatively drier ground together with Avicennia nitidaJacq. (white mangrove). Freshwater Swamp Forest which is next to it consists of several tree species of commercial value.
Among these are Lophira alata Banks ex Gaertn., Hallea ciliate Aubrév. &Pellegr., Cleistophollis patens, Alstonia congensisEngl., Piptadeniastrum africanum (Hook. f.) Brenan. Anthostema aubryanum Baill. andUapaca spp., Raphia hookeri G.Mann&H.Wendl. andR. Vinifera P. Beauv, are also common on the forest fringe. The Lowland Rainforest is richest in terms of tree composition, abundance and diversity. It is home to the largest number of economic trees of high local and international standard. Some of the well-known species are the mahoganies such as Khaya spp., Entandrophragma spp. and Lovoatrichiliodes Harms. Others include Milicia excelsa(Welw.) C.C. Berg, Triplochiton scleroxylonk. Schum., Diospyros spp., Celtismilbroedii Engl.Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn., Lophira alata Banks ex Gaertn., Terminalia spp., Gossweilerodendron balsamiferum(Verm.) Harms, Cylicodiscus gabunensis Harms and Hylodendron gabunense Taub. On the wettest sites, broad-leaved evergreen species became more dominant and these include LophiraproceraA.Chev, and Sarcocephalus diderrichii. The Savanna is next to the high forest zone. This has been categorized into Derived savanna, Guinea savanna, Sudan savanna, and Sahel found at the northern fringe of the country around Lake Chad area.
Low rainfall and high temperature
These areas are characterized by low rainfall, high temperature and scanty xerophytic vegetation. They occupy more than half of the country’s land area. Among these, the derived savanna is the most productive. However, special mention must be made of the derived savanna. It comprises predominantly of grasses with few trees and shrubs scattered. It is the transition between the high forest of the south and the true savanna of northern Nigeria. Being originally forest, relict forest trees still remain and together with regrowth form rich woodland where commercial lumbering is practiced. Well known species include Lophira lanceolata Tiegh. Ex Keay, Terminalia glaucescens Planch., Antiaris Africana Engl., Berlinia grandiflora (Vahl) Hutch. & Dalziel, and Elaeis guineensis Jacq.
In spite of the importance, the forests have diminished very rapidly and in most areas have been transformed into unproductive land. The forest resources survey of 1996-1998 revealed that the forest estate has decreased considerably to less than 6% of the countries land area. Currently, there is concern that about 26,000ha of forestland are destroyed annually in the rain forest zone and conversion of natural forests to other forms of land use.
Aggressive and decisive reforestation was abandoned in the early 1970s
To increase the volume of forest resources supply in the country, plantation establishment was mostly financed by international organisations, most especially, the African Development Bank, the European Economic Community, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank and the Food and Agricultural Organisation. Most of the projects are executed in collaboration with government agencies such as FRIN and the State Departments of Forestry. Let me highlight the fact that for some time now aggressive and decisive reforestation was virtually abandoned in the early 1970’s, and that by mid 1970s it has become apparent that national production of timber could hardly sustain the domestic demand and export trade. This led to the ban placed on round wood exportation in 1976.
This was, however, followed by a waiver of the ban in 1991, after which the exportation of round logs of Tectona grandis and Gmelina arborea Roxb, were allowed. This opportunity was grossly abused and 1994, the most mature of these species have nearly been creamed out of the forests. Wish to exploitation of the forest resources has also led to significant loss of biodiversity. For instance, a study by Federal Environmental Protection Agency in 1992, indicated that Nigeria possessed more than 5000 species of plants and 22,000 animal species. However about a quarter of these have been lost already, making it important for us to maintain and sustain a culture of reforestation that will not only increase the gene pool but also ensure that the species identified in the nation’s forests are not lost. This is more imperative as about 200 of these species are endemic to Nigeria and their disappearance from our forest will mean their disappearance from the earth.
RMRDC initiatives
This unsavoury situation led the Raw Materials Research and Development Council to initiate a plantation establishment project in 1992 with the aim of encouraging private sector participation in plantation establishment in the country. Among the objectives of the programme are to encourage private sector participation in the planting of indigenous economic plant species; to promote the development of propagation techniques for mass production of improved planting materials, promote development of management techniques for ex-situ conservation of indigenous plants, and to private sector investment in the processing of indigenous plants as raw materials in the manufacturing sector. However, the overriding objective was to incorporate the programme into the overall afforestation project of the government.
To determine the species of utmost economic potentials for immediate development, RMRDC. Constituted a multidisciplinary task with membership from the research institutes, universities and the organized private sector to carry out pilot ethno-botanical survey of indigenous plant species in the country. The report of the survey and consultation with other relevant literature including, the UNIDO illustrative list on priority medicinal plants in the developing countries were employed to determine the species to be promoted and the strategies to be adopted. Thus, the Council collaborated with relevant research institutes, universities and the organized private sector to mass produce improved planting materials of identified species for distribution to private sector investors, communities and local government areas for plantation establishment.
A processing task force
To promote increased utilization of non-timber plant species components such as medicinal plants, the Council constituted a processing task force with the primary assignment of highlighting available facilities for processing indigenous plants in the Country. The task force assessed available facilities for medicinal plant processing in the national universities and research institutes. The result of the findings led to the visits of UNIDO experts to Nigeria in 1993 to assess the available facilities for industrial processing of medicinal plants. The visit has led to establishment of medicinal plant extraction facilities at NIPRD and some of the nation’s tertiary institutions.
In 1994, the Council embarked on the programme proper by collaborating with the University of Maiduguri, National Institute of Horticultural Research and the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria to mass produce planting materials of Acacia senegal, Khaya ivorenses, Xanthoxylum xanthoxyloides, Irvingia gabonensis and Garcinia cola. Following successful production of about 2000 seedlings of each of the species in 1994, the number of species promoted was increased to 10 in 1996. The ten species include Penthachletr amacrophylla, Khaya ivorensis, Treculia africana, Acocia nilotica, Acacia albido, Xanthoxylon xanthoxyloides, Eleeas guinensis, Acacia senegalensis, Irvingia gabonensis, and Garcinia cola. Among our collaborators are the Federal University of Agric, Umudike, FRIN, Ibadan, FAME Agricultural Centre, Enugu, UDUS, Sokoto, NIFOR Benin, University of Maiduguri, and NIFOR Benin. 1 wish to point out that the utilization potentials of the plant species promoted varied considerably as the candidate species were chosen on the basis of the requirements of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. For instance P. macrophylla is used in the food industry and in the production of livestock feeds while Khaya ivorensis is used in for furniture making.
Eleeas guineensis, the oil palm tree was added as a result of its multifunctional applications in the oleo chemicals, food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. In 1997 more seedlings of these species were produced and distributed to the private sector operatives. The project was expanded considerably between 2000 to 2019.
