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Tag: Nigerian Conservation Foundation

  • NCF warns against killing vultures, other birds

    The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has warned against the killing of vultures, which they play a major role in cleaning up the society.

    The Foundation also kicked against illegal and indiscriminate killing of birds in the country, as they are an important part of the ecosystem.

    Principal Conservation Officer of the Foundation in Cross River State, Mr Emmanuel Owan, who gave the warning in Calabar during the 2019 celebration of the World Migratory Bird Day, said that birds play a very important role, including the prevention of outbreak of diseases through their activities.

    He said birds also help in the dispersal of seeds and pollution of plants and enriching the eco-system. 

    “Our message is that conservation is key to the protection of the ecosystem; it plays a key role. For those who are still hunting birds, they should do it with some level of caution, because the destruction of the habitat, the forest ecosystem and the environment play a huge role in the destabilization of their population and mortality.

    “When the population of birds reduces, this significantly tells us that the biodiversity of the environment is depreciating. Today is to celebrate birds generally, but we are looking at the vulture.

    “You find out that where we have carcasses, vultures are always there to eat these carcasses and clean up the environment. That is why we call them the clean-up-agent,’’ he said.

    According to Owan, it was unfortunate that vultures, despite their economic importance in the ecosystem, had become an endangered species. 

    “Vultures play a major role in sanitizing our environment and reducing disease. Vulture extinction may lead to an outbreak of diseases because vultures eat remains of dead animals which could cause diseases if nothing was done to them,’’ he said.

    The Foundation had a walk with school children as part of activities to mark the day, which had as its theme, “Protect Birds: Be The Solution to Plastic Pollution.”

    Owan said the objective was to sensitize them on the need to conserve and train birds, rather than hunt them.

  • Foundation rates conservation awareness low

    The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has described the level of awareness on natural resource conservation among Nigerians as very low.

    Its Programme Lead, Green Recovery Nigeria and Forest Programme, Mr. Adedayo Mahmud has, therefore, urged wildlife stakeholders to embark on grassroots advocacy to raise the level of awareness in nature conservation work.

    Mahmud who spoke with reporters  during the  commemoration of this year’s  International World Wildlife Day in Lagos, noted that most people were yet see cogent reasons for nature conservation which he attributed to  lack of proper knowledge and understanding.

    Mahmud stated that the Day is an advocacy opportunity for engaging local people and relevant stakeholders to support wildlife conservation efforts worldwide.

    He identified the Endangered Species Act, National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species as relevant laws governing wildlife conservation in the country.

    According to him, Nigeria is a signatory to many international treaties for wildlife conservation, such as the Convention on Biodiversity. He pointed out that one of the major challenges of wildlife is that most of the laws are obsolete and weak, stressing that the capacity for enforcement is weak as there is also lack of political will on the part of government.

    He tasked relevant institutions to ensure that wildlife resources are properly conserved so as to function effectively.

    He stated that the country has seven National Parks and numerous Game Reserves, such as Yankari Game Reserve, saying the government has the capacity to do more than it is doing.

    He said: “But the truth is nature conservation is big business and hugely capital-intensive venture. Therefore, government cannot do it alone and needs to encourage the private sectors to participate. We need public private partnership and collaborations to be able to effectively manage our national parks and the game reserves in the country as is being done in East and Central Africa.

    “It will be a shame and a great loss to humanity if Pangolins are allowed to go into extinction due to ignorance, greed among other issues. Pangolins are an integral component of the ecosystem, food chain and web of life where they play vital roles in evolution and ecological well-being of the planet earth. The delicate biological equilibrium will be distorted with grave consequences for human kind should Pangolins go extinct”.

    According to him, “Nigeria still has forest guards. The number of forest guards is grossly inadequate to effectively police our forest estates and the resources therein. We should also be talking about the effectiveness of the forest guards in terms of how well they are equipped to function as they should. The truth is that our forest guards are ill-equipped to deliver on the job mandates. They are also not well motivated as many of them don’t receive patrol and hazards allowances that they are statutorily entitled to. All of these rub off on their productivity. There are lots of risks and hazards associated with the job of a forest guard.”

    He advised the government and policy makers to ensure there were adequate pronouncements in support of wildlife conservation efforts.

    “Nigeria has never and is yet to take full advantage of the potentials of tourism resources as it should have done to enhance income generation abilities, potentials and opportunities that abound in the sector. Tourism can best be described as evolving. Government has established a coordinating Ministry and the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation to coordinate tourism resources development. Government needs to invest more to develop the sector and encourage public private partnership as well as corporate sponsorship to develop the sector.

    “The advocacy on pangolin is to raise awareness and inspire positive action in aid of pangolin conservation wherever they still remain in the wild.

    “The World Conservation Union (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has developed a Red List of Threatened Species) to guide global conservation efforts. It is difficult to rate one animal over another on the list. We should step up our efforts to prevent further extinctions of species. There are structured already in place but there is no synergy cooperation to effectively address national cause,” he said.

  • Stakeholders seek religious groups’ involvement in environment protection

    Environmentalists and other stakeholders have charged religious organisations to advocate environment protection.

    They spoke at the 17th Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture, which had as theme, ‘’A quiet revolution – Faith and the environment’’.

    The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Religious Adviser on the Environment to the Duke of Edinburgh, Mr Martin Palmer, submitted that it was vital for religious bodies to be involved in nature conservation.

    Palmer, who is also the Secretary- General, Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), said since over 80 per cent of the world’s population belong to major religions, and that qualifies them as stakeholders in the nature protection.

    He said in many parts of the world, religious leaders are trusted more than politicians, non-governmental organisations, the United Nations or any other outsider body, arguing that it is imperative for religious bodies to help in tackling environmental challenges.

    He stated that the historic and contemporary roles of faiths and the sacredness in conservation efforts make religious bodies the oldest, most sustainable, powerful nature-value-driven groups in the world that should be leveraged  given the massive network they enjoyed.

    Considering how religious Nigerians were, Palmer said environmentalists and religious bodies could work together by building upon certain key aspects of the faiths. “The faiths are the oldest human institutions and, therefore, the most sustainable. They know from hundreds or thousands of inyears of guiding humanity, how to effect change in such a way as to carry people with you. People will listen to their religious leaders first and, therefore, if you want to reach people it has to be in partnership with those whom they trust. Faiths can help us recover our place in a greater story of how humanity finds once again a sacred role, a special place not apart from nature but once again as part of nature,” Palmer explained.

    NCF Chairman Ede Dafinone said the country’s environmental condition was no longer about aesthetics, but rather it is about survival. He said the topic was  apt in view of the increase in carbon monoxide emission into the atmosphere, which has negative effects on climate change.

    NCF Board of Trustees President Philip Asiodu lamented that since the talk about the re-greening of the environment started, not one hectare of land had been covered in Nigeria. “If any country should be interested in nature conservation, it should be Nigeria with its diverse ethnicity and religious beliefs. Mosques and churches are everywhere and multiplying each day. It is time for us to see how they can participate in tackling environmental issues,” he said.

  • Stakeholders seek religious groups’ involvement in environment protection

    Environmentalists and other stakeholders have charged religious organisations to advocate environment protection.

    They spoke at the 17th Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture, which had as theme, ‘’A quiet revolution – Faith and the environment’’.

    The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Religious Adviser on the Environment to the Duke of Edinburgh, Mr Martin Palmer, submitted that it was vital for religious bodies to be involved in nature conservation.

    Palmer, who is also the Secretary- General, Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), said since over 80 per cent of the world’s population belong to major religions, and that qualifies them as stakeholders in the nature protection.

    He said in many parts of the world, religious leaders are trusted more than politicians, non-governmental organisations, the United Nations or any other outsider body, arguing that it is imperative for religious bodies to help in tackling environmental challenges.

    He stated that the historic and contemporary roles of faiths and the sacredness in conservation efforts make religious bodies the oldest, most sustainable, powerful nature-value-driven groups in the world that should be leveraged  given the massive network they enjoyed.

    Considering how religious Nigerians were, Palmer said environmentalists and religious bodies could work together by building upon certain key aspects of the faiths. “The faiths are the oldest human institutions and, therefore, the most sustainable. They know from hundreds or thousands of inyears of guiding humanity, how to effect change in such a way as to carry people with you. People will listen to their religious leaders first and, therefore, if you want to reach people it has to be in partnership with those whom they trust. Faiths can help us recover our place in a greater story of how humanity finds once again a sacred role, a special place not apart from nature but once again as part of nature,” Palmer explained.

    NCF Chairman Ede Dafinone said the country’s environmental condition was no longer about aesthetics, but rather it is about survival. He said the topic was  apt in view of the increase in carbon monoxide emission into the atmosphere, which has negative effects on climate change.

    NCF Board of Trustees President Philip Asiodu lamented that since the talk about the re-greening of the environment started, not one hectare of land had been covered in Nigeria. “If any country should be interested in nature conservation, it should be Nigeria with its diverse ethnicity and religious beliefs. Mosques and churches are everywhere and multiplying each day. It is time for us to see how they can participate in tackling environmental issues,” he said.

  • Buhari seeks more commitment for Lake Chad restoration

    President Muhammadu Buhari said his administration will continue to keep the reviving of Lake Chad on the front burner and exert more commitment from the developed countries to do the needful.

    He gave the assurance when he received the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and his investiture as Patron of the Foundation, at the State House, Abuja.

    The president said it was regrettable that the issue of the receding Lake Chad had not been addressed till recent times. This, he explained, is a clear indication that the problem of climate change is real, warning that desert encroachment is aggravating it.

    ‘‘The drying up of Lake Chad is a serious thing for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin countries.

    Nigeria is much more affected because fishing, animal husbandry and farming are affected very seriously. We are trying to prick the conscience of the developed countries that have the resources and the technology to quickly execute the inter-basin transfer from Congo Basin to Chad Basin,” President Buhari said.

    While welcoming NCF’s advocacy on the need to protect endangered plants and animals in the country, Buhari lamented the rate at which animals are being hunted and eliminated around the country, adding that it is time the country seriously gave forest reserves support and attention as much as possible.

     The President subsequently directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to reflect on this in its budgetary requirements in the next fiscal year.

    In his remarks, Member, Board of Trustees of the NCF, Ahmed Joda,  told the President that the nation’s wildlife was fast becoming extinct.

    He explained that for more than 10 years, the rate of deforestation in the country had been one of the highest in the world with the country losing close to 95 per cent of its original forest cover.

    Joda thanked the President for placing great emphasis on environmental issues, especially the aspect of climate change, and invited him to take charge of “Greening Nigeria”.

    “We are all proud of the role that the Nigerian delegation headed by Mr President played during the climate change agreement in Paris and your single-minded determination to keep the issue in the front burner both at home and abroad.

    “Your Government has also recorded remarkable achievements in addressing soil erosion with about 60 projects executed by the Ecological Funds all over Nigeria.

    “This is not surprising when we remember that it was you, in your first coming as Head of State, that signed the first comprehensive law that addressed the protection of endangered plants and animals in Nigeria through the ‘Endangered Species Decree of 1985’,’’ Joda said.