In Nigeria's disappearing forests, loggers outnumber trees

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, paddles his logs out of the flooded forest floor onto the river in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Deep in a forest in Nigeria's Ebute Ipare village, Egbontoluwa Marigi sized up a tall mahogany tree, methodically cut it down with his axe and machete, and as it fell with a crackling sound, he surveyed the forest for the next tree.

Around him, the stumps dotting the swampy forest were a reminder of trees that once stood tall but are fast disappearing to illegal logging in Ondo state, southwest Nigeria.

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, cuts a felled tree as Bayo watches, in the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

"We could cut down over 15 trees in one location, but now if we manage to see two trees, it will look like a blessing to us," the 61-year-old father of two said. (Photo essay:

From 2001 to 2021, Nigeria lost 1.14 million hectares of tree cover, equivalent to a 11% decrease in tree cover since 2000 and equal to 587 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Global Forest Watch, a platform that provides data and monitors forests.

After felling the trees, Marigi put markers on them, a message to other loggers that he is the owner. The logs would be transported via creeks and rivers all the way to Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos.

Logger, Kayode Ikuejamoye, takes a break from felling trees in the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

"During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said.

Cutting down trees for logging, opening up farmland or to feed energy demand for a growing population is putting pressure on Nigeria's natural forests.

President Muhammadu Buhari told a COP15 meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on May 9 that Nigeria had established a national forestry trust fund to help regenerate the country's forests. That may not be enough as the country loses forests at a faster pace.

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, poses for a portrait during a smoke break, in the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, May 17, 2021. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

"Protecting the forest means protecting ourselves. When we destroy the forest, we destroy humanity," said Femi Obadun, director of forest management for Ondo state's agriculture ministry.

It's something Marigi knows all too well, but his priority is to eke out a living.

Months after cutting the trees, Marigi returns to the forest to pull the logs together and fasten them into rafts. He has a collection of more than 40 logs.

Hunters carry monkeys they have just killed in the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 13, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

With other loggers, they have put together money to hire a tugboat to pull the rafts through creeks and rivers from Ondo state to Lagos.

Makeshift shelters on the rafts are made from wood and help shield Marigi and his friends from the weather. Food is shared while they belt out local folk songs to lift spirits.

"We don't sleep at night during the journey. We monitor the logs and make sure that (they don't) detach from the tugboat," Marigi told Reuters.

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, fells a tree with a chainsaw in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

The boat stops at several locations to pick up more loggers and their rafts. A single boat can carry up to a thousand rafts, each containing as much as 30 logs.

Marigi's journey ends at a lagoon in Lagos, where rafts from Ondo state and other parts of the country converge and the logs are processed at sawmills and sold to different users.

(Reporting by Nyancho Nwa Nri and Fikayo Owoeye; Editing by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Lisa Shumaker)

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, poses for a photograph, holding his axe while felling trees, in the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, January 24, 2022. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, drinks water from a tree branch in the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, pulls a log through the flooded forest floor in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 14, 2021. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, fishes with his friend in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, May 18, 2021. The rapid rate of deforestation has led to a reduction on the income of loggers, who now have to practice other trades to boost their means of livelihood. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

An aerial view of Ipare town on market day, Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 13, 2021. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, talks with some locals as he pulls his logs through the river in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, arranges logs on the river in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 11, 2021. After felling the trees and cross-cutting them, the loggers pull the logs out of the flooded forest floor onto the river, where they will eventually be hammered into rafts, ready for transportation to Lagos state. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, takes rest from moving logs from the forest floor to the river in preparation of being transported from Ondo State, to Lagos State, in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

A tug boat pulls a line of log rafts in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, November 9, 2021. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Elewuro, the captain of the tug boat, controls the collection of rafts attached to his boat, in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, November 9, 2021. After hammering their logs into rafts, various loggers come together and rent a tug boat, which is used to transport all of their logs through water channels from Ondo State to Lagos State. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Sunday poses for a photograph, while the captain of the tug boat, Elewuro, is seen through the window, as they set out on their journey to Lagos from Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, November 9, 2021. After hammering their logs into rafts, various loggers come together and rent a tug boat, which is used to transport all of their logs through water channels from Ondo State to Lagos State. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Loggers sit in a hut built on top of floating rafts of logs, which are being transported from Ondo State to Lagos State, Nigeria, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Loggers stand on floating rafts of logs while being transported from Ondo State to Lagos State, Nigeria, December 1, 2021. The journey usually takes at least one week. The loggers live in small makeshift huts on the rafts, where they eat, bathe and sleep. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, smokes a cigarette in the hut on top his raft of logs, in transit from Ondo State to Lagos State, Nigeria, December 1, 2021. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Bolaji Ikuejamoye, uses an axe to fasten a loose joint on his raft, in transit from Ondo State to Lagos State, Nigeria, December 1, 2021. Logs are made into rafts and transported together through local water channels from different parts of the country to Lagos, the commercial capital of the country. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, reads the Bible with the help of torchlight, in his makeshift hut built on a raft of logs being transported to Lagos state, Nigeria, November 30, 2021. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Rafts made of logs, transported from Ondo state and other parts of the country are seen gathered in the Lagos lagoon, near the Ebute Metta sawmill in Lagos, Nigeria, November 25, 2021. This location is the final stop for the loggers on their journey from Ondo State. Here, the logs will be processed into wood planks and sold to manufacturers and end users. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Rafts made of logs, transported from Ondo state and other parts of the country are seen gathered in the Lagos lagoon, near the Ebute Metta sawmill in Lagos, Nigeria, November 25, 2021. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Sawmill workers roll a log out of the Lagos lagoon at the Ebute Metta sawmill in Lagos, Nigeria, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

A worker operates an industrial saw at the Ebute Metta sawmill in Lagos State, Nigeria, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Hammered rafts ready to be transported to Lagos State are seen at sunrise on the river in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, Novemeber 9, 2021. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Egontoluwa Marigi, 61, sits in his hut on his raft, while transporting logs from Ondo State to Lagos State on the Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. December 1, 2021. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Loggers, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, Bayo and Kayode Ikuejamoye, gather after a day's work to share a meal of rice and beetle pupae they collected from the forest in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, June 28, 2021. The forest is a major source of food and sustenance for the people of Ipare. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, sits, as his wife rubs lotion on his head while his children watch, at their home in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, January 24, 2022. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Egbontoluwa Marigi, 61, sings in his canoe while putting together his log rafts for transportation in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, November 8, 2021. "During the time of our forefathers, we had big trees but sadly what we have now are just small trees and we don't even allow them to mature before we cut them," Marigi said. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Logger, Komiyo Ikuejamoye, takes a break from moving logs out of the forest and onto the river in Ipare, Ondo State, Nigeria, October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

A worker cuts wood with a mechanical saw at Ebute Metta sawmill in Lagos, Nigeria, March 7 2022. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

Rafts made of logs transported from Ondo state and other parts of the country are seen gathered in the Lagos lagoon, near the Ebute Metta sawmill in Lagos, Nigeria, December 9, 2021. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri

A tug boat pulls a line of log rafts in Lagos, Nigeria, December 1, 2021. After setting off Ipare, the tug stops at various locations to pick up more loggers whose rafts are attached to the others'. A single tug boat can sometimes carry up to a thousand rafts, each containing approximately 30 logs. Photo taken with a drone. REUTERS/Nyancho NwaNri