Poachers recently killed an elephant in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria. This was the second within the space in two years. It raises issues about Nigeria’s dwindling elephant population. That is vital as Nigeria is now one in all Africa’s primary export hubs for ivory.
It additionally raises issues about Nigerians’ perspective in direction of biodiversity dialog.
Consciousness and understanding of organic range determines the conservation of threatened species in lots of areas of the world.
Primarily based on this, in 2010 the Conference of Organic Range set new targets for reaching biodiversity motion plans at varied ranges. These are often known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
First among the many targets is elevating individuals’s consciousness of biodiversity conservation. This is step one in direction of reaching conservation success and Sustainable Development Goal 15 – halting biodiversity loss.
Organic range benefits are enormous. Vegetation and animals provide many services. These vary from meals to shelter, medication, aesthetics, ecotourism alternatives and jobs.
A go to to pure websites to view endangered or uncommon animals can be one of many mainstays of economies of some African nations like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Such visits even have advantages for individuals’s health.
Regardless of its quite a few advantages, biodiversity continues to be not properly appreciated or promoted in Nigeria. Individuals don’t trouble in regards to the conservation standing of such animals earlier than killing them for meals or cash. Poaching of uncommon and endangered animals doesn’t obtain a corresponding stage of punishment in Nigeria. It is usually not perceived as crime by many poachers. This isn’t the case in East and Southern Africa. There, poaching is criminalised and arrests are publicised to function deterrent.
Moreover, there’s little or no information on poachers for Nigeria not like some East and Southern African nations.
An instance of poaching in Nigeria was the 2019 killing of a whale washed ashore within the Niger-Delta area. Additionally, the killing of manatees within the Benue River and the Niger-Delta region.
What Nigerians stated about biodiversity
My research group sought to appraise the extent of biodiversity conservation consciousness by Nigerians, utilizing a structured questionnaire.
A complete of 1,124 respondents which included 839 professionals (these with tertiary schooling) and 285 non-professionals (these with primary or no formal schooling) participated within the survey. The respondents had been drawn from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. They had been requested completely different questions to check their information of biodiversity, conservation, Nationwide Biodiversity Technique and Motion Plan, and their understanding of the significance of biodiversity to the nation’s ecology and financial system.
As a celebration to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the Conference on Organic Range, Nigeria formulated a coverage doc in direction of realising these targets. This doc is called National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. It has 14 targets, 21 affect indicators and 67 actions. The primary goal goals at elevating the extent of consciousness of biodiversity conservation amongst Nigerians to 30% of the complete inhabitants by 2020.
Our findings revealed that Nigerians nonetheless don’t know sufficient about biodiversity or why it’s vital. Consciousness is low (lower than 30%) amongst these with primary or no formal schooling. A lot of our respondents had been unaware of any nationwide biodiversity motion plan (43.8% for professionals had been conscious and 12.1% for non-professionals). The ecotourism potential of many states will not be being promoted sufficient, within the opinion of the respondents.
Among the respondents’ feedback confirmed the extent of consciousness as very low:
I’ve by no means heard of biodiversity conservation. If it is crucial there must be correct consciousness.
One other stated:
I assumed biodiversity was about completely different tradition till immediately. Please it’s excessive time we helped educate others.
And one remarked:
That is the primary time I’m having a full glimpse of what biodiversity is all about in full.
This analysis consequence speaks to the necessity for federal and state governments to do extra to advertise biodiversity and optimise its potential for current and future generations.
Many state governments rely considerably on the federal allocation from oil revenues, whereas many ecotourism websites with big financial potential stay untapped. An instance of such websites is the highest waterfall in West Africa – the Oowu Waterfalls which is situated in Kwara State.
The nation wants to maneuver from coverage formulation to coverage implementation to realize this purpose. My analysis group supplied some suggestions.
Bettering biodiversity consciousness
Points corresponding to biodiversity, conservation and biodiversity motion plan should take their due place within the public discourse. They need to even be taught as obligatory topics at varied ranges of schooling.
Digital media promotion of those points in native languages should additionally enhance to achieve out to individuals who can’t learn.
Graduates of botany, zoology, forestry and wildlife conservation must be employed the place their experience is required, quite than permitting non-experts to take their positions within the related ministries, departments or businesses of governments.
To begin with, such graduates might be employed throughout their nationwide youth service, and thereafter as profession officers to coach individuals of their respective communities. They might additionally assist in implementing Nigeria’s biodiversity technique and motion plan.
