March 08, (THEWILL) – For Nigeria to tap from a good deal of ecology across the states, there is the need for government at all levels to address the issue of environment.
Investing in research and ecological programs across the states will promote sustainable wildlife, according to experts.
However, experts expressed worries over sustained exploitation of these natural resources such as pangolin, Nigeria -Cameroon chimpanzee, Niger – Delta gazelle, and others.
According to research, the resources have been declining in the last four decades as a result of destructive human activities, such as seeing wildlife as protein for their food, a source of international trading, and others. In no distant time, this may negatively affect the provision of food, increase health hazards, and risk of natural disasters among others.
Reports have revealed that the Ministry of Environment at state and federal levels, which is supposed to be at the forefront of the affairs, unfortunately, gets the least resources and not at where major decisions are taken.
To achieve this, there is an urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have wide-ranging economic, environmental, and social impacts.
In his speech titled “Man’s inhumanity against wildlife,” West Africa Regional Representative, Society for Ecological Restoration(SER), Dr. Excellence Akeredolu said that the decline has been a result of certain destructive human activities such as poaching, illegal logging, fuelwood consumption, unsustainable harvesting of no timber products, bust fire among others.
Akeredolu, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, condemned the use of endangered species of animals as pets and game animals while he also berated online wildlife trading.
Speaking at a webinar organized by SER to mark World Wildlife Day 2022, with the theme “Recovering Key Species For Ecosystem. Restoration,” Akeredolu said that the nation has to upgrade all related ecological agencies or institutions required to monitor and coordinate wildlife resources for effective management of biodiversity across the country.
He noted that they should put workable policies in place for effective biological resources management and protection.
“The day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides to people.
“At the same time, SER advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture,” he said.
A lecturer from the University of Maryland, United States, Dr. Meredith Gore, in her presentation, discussed the use of intelligence mapping to track illegal trade of wildlife, illegal logging, and illegal fishing.
Dr. Gore identified the use of spatial analysis in the conservation of wildlife species in Nigerian protected areas and parks.
According to her, “sustainable exploitation of natural resources in form of excessive hunting, deforestation and increasing fishing pressure is highly condemnable in the sense that it leads to decline in our biological resources.”
Continuing, she said that mitigation against unsustainable resources utilization will take several years to achieve.
Associate Professor of Plant Systematics and Conservation, Department of Botany, University of Lagos, Dr. Temitope Onuminya, pointed out that in recent times, biodiversity loss in Nigeria has been on a massive increase majorly owing to anthropogenic activities. According to Onuminya, “Even the areas designated as conservation areas as well as national parks are not exempted from this impact.”
She noted that several plant species which might otherwise have served as either source of food or habitat for animals are been endangered and if these practices continue they might be facing extinction. Animals are not excluded as there are incessant deliberate killings of wild animals thereby leading to their reduction in the population.
She said: “Owing to unfavorable environmental conditions, a number of these animals also tend to migrate to other locations where the environment is conducive as a result they are rarely sighted in areas where they once lived due to habitat destruction.”
Talking about the promotion of a sustainable environment, Dr. Onuminya advised that it is expedient to have enforcement of laws prohibiting the unlawful cutting of trees or poaching/killings of animals, especially within designated conservation areas.
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
