TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, THE TARABA STATE EXPERIENCED By Stella Shimvima Department of General Studies ABSTRACT The research worked on the examination of the available natural resources and the environmental challenges that are undermining the performance of such resource to full utilization particularly in taraba state to achieve that the following objectives were developed (i)To determine the environmental challenges to the use of natural resources in the state (ii)To ascertain the economic importance of natural resources in the state. (iii)To evaluate why the natural resources are been underutilized in the state (iv)To analyze whether misplaced priority is the reason behind the underutilization. The findings of the research shows that there are abundant natural resources that has not be exploited as a result of challenging emanating from the environment which is both as a result of human activities and nature INTRODUCTION from the former Gongola state on 27th A natural resource is anything that August, 1991. Jalingo is the administrative people can use which comes from nature. centre of the state. Taraba state has an Natural resources are all that exists without estimated population of 2,688,944 the action of humankind. Natural resources according to 2006 census. The state derives may exist as a separate entity such as water, its name from Taraba River which traverses forest, gold, diamond, air, etc as well as the Southern part of the state. The state lies living organisms such as fish or it may exist roughly within the tropical zone and has a in alternative form which must be process to vegetation of forest in the southern part and obtain, the resources such as metal ores, oil grassland in the northern part. The Mambilla etc and most form of energy. Plateau with latitude 1800 meters (6000ft) Taraba State is situated in the North-eastern above the sea level, it has a temperature part of Nigeria consists of 16 Local climate all year round. River Benue, Donga, Government Areas; the state was curved out Taraba and Ibbi are the main rivers in the 74 TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 PUBLICATION OF TARABA STATE POLYTECHNIC, SUNTAI TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 state, it rise from the Cameroon mountain environmental challenges in the state. This straining almost the entire length of the research work stands to achieve the state, in the north and south direct to link up following objectives: with river Niger. 1. To determine the environmental Taraba State occupies 54,473 square challenges to the use of natural resources in kilometers. The state is bounded in west by the state. Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue state, on the 2. To ascertain the economic eastern border by Adamawa state and importance of natural resources in the Republic of Cameroon, and on the north state. border by Gombe State. The state is richly 3. To evaluate why the natural blessed with numerous natural resources. resources are been underutilized in the STATEMENT OF PROBLEM state We might not really understand the 4. To analyze whether misplaced economic importance of natural resources to priority is the reason behind the any state or nation until the needs arises. The underutilization. state is richly blessed with numerous natural LITERATURE REVIEW endowments across the 16 Local Natural resources has contributed government areas, with the availability of immensely towards fiscal revenue, income natural resources, the state is faced with the and poverty reduction. The wealth challenges includes underutilization of embodied in natural resources makes up a natural resources across 16 local significant proportion of the wealth of most government of the state, nonchalant attitude nations, often more than the wealth towards investing on the natural resources embodied in produced capital, therefore, across 16 local government of the state and making natural management a key aspect of inadequate manpower and techniques in economic development (World Bank, managing the available natural resources. 2006). Many countries have seen significant The study, therefore, we sought to identify rises in revenues from natural resources due the available natural resources in the state to the rise in commodity prices. Natural and the reasons for the underutilization of resources such as oil, gas, mineral and natural resources. timber are expected to continue to play significant role in resource abundant OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY economies, as demand from rapidly The overall purpose of this research is to growing economies increases, and as evaluate and determine the economic supplies of non-renewable resources decline importance of natural resources and the and renewable resource harvest approach 75 TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 PUBLICATION OF TARABA STATE POLYTECHNIC, SUNTAI TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 maximum sustained yield levels. Not mineral resources, energy resources, soil surprisingly, countries, states richly resources, water resources and biological endowed with natural resources capital have resources. the potential to derive significant current Renewable natural resources are income from resources. In addition to resources from renewable natural stocks providing revenues to countries, natural that, after exploitation, can return to their resources can play a central role in poverty previous stock levels by natural processes of reduction efforts. The poor generally growth or replenishment. Examples of depend upon natural resources directly for renewable resources include timber from their likelihoods, especially the rural areas. forest resources, freshwater resources, land Consequently, policies that improve natural resources, wildlife resources such as fish, resources management can have immediate agricultural resources. and meaningful poverty reduction impacts. Non-renewable natural resources are Pro-poor natural resource management exhaustible natural resources whose natural policies include, among other (OECD stocks cannot be regenerated after 2008): exploitation or that can only be regenerated i. Projects that improve the or replenished by natural cycles that are capacity of community based organizations relatively slow at human scale. Example to manage resources. include metals and other minerals such as ii. Assuring access to resources by industrial and construction minerals, and providing clear land tenure and fossil energy. resource use rights; Kurmi Local Government Area is iii. P r o m o t i n g t o o l s s u c h a s richly blessed with fertile soil which grows participatory rural appraisals, number of cash crops and food crops such as strategic environmental assessment, Banana, Plantains, Rice, Groundnuts, p o v e r t y a n d s o c i a l i m p a c t Oranges, Palm trees, cocoyam and cocoa. assessment. Other includes maize, guinea corn. Kurmi is The natural resources comprise three also a producer of high quality Timber and principal categories of assets being natural the only local government with the state resource stocks, land and ecosystem that owned abandoned Timber Company which occur in nature and provide environmental is called Baissa Timber. functions and services. In the north-west part, is grassland The term “natural resource” designates which also grows most of the cash and food renewable and non-renewable resource crops. Majority of the populace are farmers, stocks that are found in nature, such as these crops are produced in large quantity 76 TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 PUBLICATION OF TARABA STATE POLYTECHNIC, SUNTAI TSPJESD Journal | Vol 1 No. 1 | May, 2017 for local consumption and the rest exported, Taraba State is agriculture, cash crops either to other parts of the country or outside produced in the state include coffee, Rice, the country. sorghum, millet, cassava, and yam which Russian scientists from the institute of are produced for both subsistence and aerospace instrumentation have discovered commercial purposes. In addition, cattle, deposit of silver and traces of gold and oil in sheep and goats are reared in large numbers, the central and northern part of Taraba State especially on the Mambilla Plateau, and (2011). Mr. Valery Shaposhinkov, the along Benue and Taraba valleys. Similarly, economic counselor of Russian Embassy in the people undertake other livestock Nigeria disclosed this to Governor Danbaba production activities like poultry Suntai in Jalingo while briefing him on their production, rabbit breeding and pig farming survey for mineral deposit in the state. The in fairly large scale. Taraba state is among counselor noted that Russian scientists had the leading states in the production of vast experience in mineral exploitation livestock with its diary farms at jalingo, across the world and were sure of their Gembu and Nguroje. Communities living findings. According to him, silver is the on the banks of river Benue, Taraba, Donga largest deposit in the northern part and traces and Ibi engage in fishing all year round. of gold and oil which are found at the middle level in the central and northern part of the ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF state. NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE A c c o r d i n g t o R o b e r t STATE Mukhanmdyenor, the Lead scientist of the Economic importance of natural team spoke through an interpreter explained resources to human endeavor cannot be that deposit of lead and zinc were also found overemphasized, they are as follows: in the northern zone. He said, precious i. Forestry and fishery products stones were also discovered along the Benue are significant generators of export income trough in southern part of the state, also in for as long as they are available, even though Nguroje Sardauna. According to the leader, for many countries they contribute a modest this is our first contract in Taraba and we percentage of total income. hope to continue our survey of the state for ii. Most fuel for cooking and heating more information on the discoveries comes from wild trees and shrubs.