… as world commemorates event despite COVID19
Notwithstanding any progress it is making, Nigeria still has a long way to go in conserving its abundant biodiversity. The country needs to do more in protecting its forests and the species that depend on the forest to survive by minimising the rate of deforestation and habitat loss.
These are some of the sentiments shared by conservation experts on Saturday to mark the International Day of Forests. The International Day of Forests is set aside annually by the United Nations on 21 March to raise awareness of the importance of forests to people and their vital role in poverty eradication, environmental sustainability and food security. This year’s commemoration drew attention to forest and biodiversity.
Speaking in an interview on the importance of the forest and its biodiversity to humans, Dr. Tajudeen Amusa, a conservation expert from the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ilorin stated that humans and the biodiversity supported by forests are interdependent and one cannot do without the other. He encouraged everyone to play their own role in conserving the forest, which supports 80 percent of terrestrial life. He added a lack of political will is one of the major issues militating against forest conservation in the country.
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“We need to stem the tide of habitat loss and fragmentation, we need policies to support the protection of wildlife in their ranges and we need political will to stop all human land use practices capable of causing destruction and fragmentation of the forests,” said Dr. Amusa.
The expert who has spent over a decade of his career on elephant conservation in the country also mentioned insecurity as a major setback to wildlife conservation in the country. He pointed some conservation oarks as examples of how insecurity can hinder conservation work.
“Birnin-Gwari and its environs where we carried out the first project was highly prone to bandit attacks,” he recounted. “A number of Park rangers have been killed in the area. The security situation in the area became so tense that we needed to stop the project there.”
He commended the Nigerian National Park Service, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, The Rufford Foundation among others for their activities in making sure the forest and its biodiversity in the country receive constant attention. He urged the government and other stakeholders not to relent in keeping the forest sustainable.
Despite the global battle against the Covid19 pandemic, conservationists worldwide joined their voices online and as best as they could while taking all the precautions against the spread of the virus to commemorate the International Day of the Forest.
