Afi River Forest Reserve (ARFR), named after the river that bisects it iwas established in the 1930 to protect more than 300 square kilometers (about 116 square miles) of rainforest near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon. The region is home to critically endangered Cross River gorillas However, despite becoming an official protected area in 2000, poaching has persisted according to Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Poaching isn’t the only threat that the gorillas face. Habitat loss is on the rise in Cross River, with satellite data showing that more primary forest was cleared in 2020 than in any year prior since measurement began in 2002. Overall, Cross River state lost nearly 5% of its primary forest cover between 2002 and 2020. 2021 started with a bang in Cross River state as the region saw some of its highest fire activity. Sources said the origins of the fires remain unclear but suspect that some of them may have been started by farmers clearing land for new fields. During a visit in Aug. 2021, Mongabay observed several trucks loading logged timber day and night in and near ARFR and many areas were pockmarked by deforestation and strewn with logs. It was the peak of farming season, with farmers continuing to clear new farms even as rains fell, burning stumps and applying chemicals to control crop pests and diseases. The underlying factor driving deforestation in ARFR and elsewhere in the country is poverty. Nearly half of Nigeria’s 190 million people live in extreme poverty and with few legal options to make a living the country’s population (expected to double by 2050) turn to the forests to make a living. ARFR has long been too degraded to provide permanent habitat for Cross River gorillas but is still considered a lifeline that connects resident populations of the gorilla sanctuary and Cross River National Park. However, ARFR may be losing its capacity as a habitat corridor. Paddy Njar, director of wildlife at the Cross River State Forestry Commission said there’s little else they can do without better state support. “There is no support from the state government,” Njar said. “We are seriously handicapped. No mobility. No funding. No allowances for rangers who ought to be on patrol. I feel bad.” The threat is becoming dire as, now that they have almost finished the destruction of Afi River Forest Reserve, the attention of farmers has turned to the gorilla wildlife sanctuary. So we are clearly running out of time. More on this subject https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/deforestation-soars-in-nigerias-gorilla-habitat-we-are-running-out-of-time/