Bayelsa State Forest Management

FOREST MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCES IN BAYELS A STATE.

The environment has been decaying so fast so much that it may no longer fully support any form of life in the next few decades if humanity do not come together and fight this degradation. In this regard, humans are the most affected. There are a lot of vehicular emissions and gas flaring in Bayelsa State.

There is massive deforestation and destruction of biodiversity all in the name of survival coppled ignorance. More carbon dioxide is replacing oxygen in the atmosphere. These problems have serious adverse effect on the environment and sustainability of life on the  planet earth. So far no concrete action is being undertaken by the Bayelsa State Government.

Bayelsa State is one of the leading producers of oil and gas among the oil mineral producing states in the country and since 1996 when Bayelsa State was created. However the following are some the forest resources that have been and are managed to obtain in Bayelsa State.

Traditional forest products, fire wood, fiber for paper, timber for lumbering, medicinal plants, wildlifes, food with little thinking for other products and services.
In order to conserve forest resources (bio-resources), the government  has made efforts at designating certain areas as protected forests. There are about six(6) to seven(7) gazetted forests reserves in  Bayelsa State. These include:
I.     Taylor Creek Forest reserve (218.91km2)
II.    Edumanon Forest reserve (86.76km2)
III.   Nun River Forest reserve (97.15km2)
IV.   Apoi Creek Forest reserve (64.77km2)
V.    Igbedi Creek Forest reserve (66.32km2)
VI.   Ikibiri Creek Forest reserve (191.71km 2)
VII. Bayelsa National Forest ( Located in and around Zarama and Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government) - (Amoru G. W 2000)

EDUMANON FOREST RESERVE

The Edumanom Forest Reserve is an area in the Niger Delta region of southeast Nigeria that is home to some of the last chimpanzees in Nigeria.
It covers part of the old Nembe Kingdom, now divided into the Nembe and Brass local government areas, in Bayelsa State. The reserve is a Freshwater Swamp Forest with an area of 9,324 hectares. The habitat has been degraded by oil-industry and logging operations. Although there are relatively few roads in the region, hunters can gain access to the forest through the creeks and along oil pipelines. The forest is also under threat from expansion of oil palm plantations. A proposed federal road from Ogbia to Nembe would run between two of the patches inhabited by chimps in the Edumanom forest.
In 1995, hunter's reports suggested that there were 5-10 small chimpanzee groups in the general area, probably with no more than 50 individuals. Older hunters tended to avoid chimpanzees, but younger hunters boasted of killing them. Young chimps captured as a result of hunting typically are sold as pets or to zoos.

APOI CREEK FOREST RESERVES

Apoi Creek Forest Reserve is a lowland swamp forest in Bayelsa State within the central Niger Delta. The reserve has considerable ecological significance and supports many rare, unique and/or threatened species as well as serving as an important spawning and nursery area for fish.
Apoi Creek is a stronghold for the endemic Niger Delta Red Colobus monkey Procolobus epieni and other primates such as the olive colobus Procolobus verus and the Nigerian white-throated guenon Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki. The site is threatened by hunting and logging although it has not been as severely affected as other forests elsewhere in the region. An additional threat is the digging of canals for oil exploration and for the transport of logs which is affecting the local hydrology. Apoi Creek was designated as a Ramsar site #1751 in 2008. (Wildlife Conservation Society 2007 - 2015)

BAYELSA NATIONAL FOREST.

The Bayelsa National Forest is located in and around Biseni and Zarama in Yenagoa Local Government Area. It is rich in some major trees, wildlife, medicinal plants as well as for provision of food for its sourrounding inhabitats.

TAYLOR CREEK FOREST RESERVE
Taylor Creek Forest Reserve located in the Yenagoa local Government Area of Bayelsa, being another biodiversity hotspot, and accoring to reports, it has a victim of major hunters in search of meat and other food stuffs.

IKIBIRI CREEK FOREST RESERVE.
The Ikibiri Creek Forest Reserve is another spotted reserved forest in Bayelsa State. It is known for provision of timbers, meat, medicinal plants, ornamentals as well as wildlife.

Forest is a major contributor of riches to any economy and if the government of Bayelsa State can pay more attention on it's forest resources, the rest will be history.