Environmental experts, on the occasion of the 2026 International Day of Forests, have called on Nigerians, particularly business owners, to embrace the safeguarding of forests and other natural ecosystems.

Director-general of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Joseph Onoja, and the CEO of Natural Eco Capital and executive director of the Africa Green Economy and Sustainability Institute (AGESI), Eugene Itua, made the call while featuring on Channels TV on Saturday.

The advocates stressed the interdependence between effective business management and biodiversity conservation consciousness as mutual ingredients for sustainable development.

Dismissing common misconceptions about forests in Nigeria, Mr Onoja described forests as the “lungs of the earth” and “lifelines” indispensable to humans and the economy.

“How people perceive forests these days should not be. Forests are the lungs of the earth. And without forests, ecosystems, habitats, we as humans cannot thrive,” Mr Onoja said.

“Unfortunately, forests are being used for what they are not supposed to be used for, especially in Nigeria where we have insurgency and people hiding there to commit all sorts of crime.”

“They play important roles in our well-being. Without forests, apart from humans, businesses will not be able to thrive. As humans, we cannot be apart from our forests. We are part of it, and that is what sustains us,” Mr Onoja said.

Emphasising the importance of forest and biodiversity conservation, Mr Onoja urged Nigerians to embrace social and urban development that respects nature.

“There are some areas that we should not develop. We should allow the forest to play its role. Animals play their own role in the environment as nature has placed them there. That is because there are some things that, even if we have the money, we will not be able to produce effectively. An example is oxygen,” he said.

Suggesting some factors driving the deforestation trend in Nigeria, the AGESI boss, Eugene Itua, listed infrastructure, urban development, and the use of fuelwood.

Explaining the importance of biodiversity conservation to power generation in the country, Mr Itua noted that trees play a role that cannot be overemphasised.

“If you look at the dams—Shiroro, Jebba, and the likes—what actually supports them to ensure that we have an optimum supply of energy are the trees you have all around them,” Mr Itua stated.

“If you pull down the trees from the catchment, what you are simply doing is telling us we do not need that optimal supply from those hydropower dams. Energy security is in question for us,” he said.

Stating his concern over eco-unfriendly practices such as the use of firewood for cooking, and the lack of adequate energy alternatives for all citizens, Mr Itua noted that energy-efficient cooking options have health, environmental, and affordability benefits.

“What do we have as an alternative to fuelwood use? We already know we have, for instance, gas. But have we been able to distribute this gas everywhere, to the nook and cranny of the country?” Mr Itua said.

Stating that there are huge untapped benefits attached to biodiversity conservation, Mr Itua called on business owners and stakeholders to embrace a nature-positive future.

“Everyone must be part of it. They need to know what their dependencies on the environment are. An organisation that takes from the environment, like water, should not be looking at inflation, but at it as a source of raw material,” he stated.

According to the United Nations, the International Day of Forests, observed annually on March 21, was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests.

Commemorating the 2026 International Day of Forests, the UN, in its key message, noted that “more than 1.6 billion people depend on forests for subsistence, income or employment, yet forest investment remains far below what is needed to unlock their full economic potential.”

“The forest sector provides around 13 million formal jobs, with 40–50 million additional jobs in informal and small-scale forest enterprises. In many low-income countries, forests contribute a higher share of GDP than in high-income economies, reflecting their importance for inclusive growth,” the organisation noted.