NCE: FRIN going beyond environmental sustainability to economic empowerment from the environment —Adepoju

THE Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) is looking beyond environmental sustainability to find ways of empowering people via improved forest species.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 11th National Council on Environment (NCE) held in Ogun State recently, the Executive Director of FRIN, Dr Adeshola Adepoju, said that arising from discussion held during meetings at the event, the institute was “looking beyond sustaining the environment.

“We are looking at how from the environment we can support the Federal Government’s direction on economic recovery; how various wastes can be turned to wealth, how afforestation can be an economic way of life, collaborating with communities and bringing pupils and students of schools to be part of afforestation and reforestation.

“It is not just about just sustaining the environment, we are doing a conscientious advocacy to let people know that beyond living healthy in your environment, you can also live wealthy.”

He said that among the non-timber forest products that were on display at the institute’s exhibition stand at the NCE was an improved variety of shea butter that becomes harvestable in two to seven years.

“In terms of reforestation and afforestation, we have been able to solve a major problem that farmers are facing in the area of not wanting to wait 10, 20, or 30 years’ time for a tree to mature. We have been able to come up with the vegetative propagation of some indigenous tree species that can come to full maturity in terms of fruiting or gestation in the seventh year at maximum.

“One of them is shea butter tree. People use the wood for charcoal and making items like mortar and pestle. Now we have come up with a species that is friendlier on the environment and you cannot cut to do anything, but at the end of the seventh year is fruiting and the shea butter product can be used for making body cream, skin treatment and the like.”

He said that “This is so that people can see that they can plan a business and begin to yield their interest in seven years maximum, rather than the past adage that the one who plants a tree is not the one who harvests it.”