Members of the State Project Management Unit of ACReSAL in Benue State led by the Project Coordinator in the State, Bldr. Victor Ama embarked on a field survey of some forests in the Gwer East LGA of the State. It is a known fact that some designated forests have over time been neglected and either destroyed by wildfire, encroachment from host communities, massive deforestation, or unauthorized felling of trees. In a bid to assess the state of forests in the state in the state, the Benue ACReSAL team accompanied by the Directors of Forestry and Environment in the State’s Ministries of Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change and the Divisional Forest Officer for Gwer East LGA.
A drone belonging to the State Project Unit was used by the GIS officer Surv. Joel Omirin to fly over the forest to acquire relevant data around the forest. Mbaav Forest has a lot of areas that can be afforested since there is a swathe of land in the forest that doesn’t have trees planted on it yet. This has a huge potential in the fight against Climate Change because there are hectares of forest that are yet to be used.
The Benue ACReSAL Team then proceeded to Ikwe Wildlife Park. The Park was developed to complement the Makurdi Zoological Gardens. A dilapidated resort “IKWE Holiday Resort” which had been built inside the Park with facilities including a conference hall, a lawn tennis court, a generator house, and sit-out facilities still stands. The Resort is situated at a spot where “Mbakyu”, the ancestral spirit of the Ikwe people lived. The flourishing of natural animal habitats once had a large number of wildlife including lions, antelopes, hyenas, snakes, grass cutters, and birds of all types for the delight of tourists and visitors. This is what Benue ACReSAL wishes to rejuvenate. The drone was also used at the Ikwe Wildlife Park to gather data. The area is full of potential for ranching, planting trees, bringing back wildlife, and re-establishing the resort to improve the livelihood of people around the area.