Logging is threatening Omo Forest Reserve in southern Nigeria, which is home to endangered wildlife like African elephants. Conservationists say the outer region of the reserve, where logging is allowed, is already heavily deforested. As trees become scarce, loggers are heading deep into a protected part of the reserve, which is also under threat from uncontrolled cocoa farming and poaching. Conservationists and rangers blame the government for not enforcing environmental regulations or adequately replanting trees, impeding Nigeria’s pledges under the Paris climate agreement. The government says it will deploy the military and police against illegal operators. It denies compromising on regulations, which forest workers and sawmillers dispute.
