FG to combat illegal wildlife trade, mitigate habitat loss

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal said combating illegal wildlife trade, mitigating habitat loss, tackling the impacts of climate change among others has become very critical for Nigeria to leverage on digital solutions to address the myriad of challenges facing our planet’s ecosystems .

Lawal made the disclosure during the commemoration of the 2024 World Wildlife Day and Presentation of the Findings and Recommendations of ICCWC Toolkit Report for Nigeria” with the This year’s theme, “Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Conservation,” underscores the pivotal role of technology in safeguarding our precious wildlife.
yesterday in Abuja.
The Minister said by leveraging on innovative solutions, we are not only amplify our capacity to protect endangered species but also foster greater connectivity between people and the planet they call home.

He explained that Digital conservation transcends geographical boundaries, fostering global collaboration and knowledge sharing among scientists, conservationists, and communities worldwide.

He said by harnessing the collective power of technology, we can unite in our efforts to safeguard biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come
He said “Today there is rapidly evolving digital landscape, technological advancements which offers us unprecedented opportunities to enhance conservation efforts and forge deeper connections between humanity and the natural world.
“ From cutting-edge monitoring systems to innovative data analytics, digital tools empower us to better understand, protect, and preserve our wildlife.

He reaffirmed” Our commitments as we reflect on the significance of the World Wildlife Day, to harness the transformative potential of digital innovation in conservation. “Together, let us strive to bridge the gap between humanity and nature, recognizing that our fate is intricately intertwined with the well-being of the natural world”.

He stated that “As we embrace the promise of digital conservation, we must also remain mindful of its limitations and potential risks.
“ We must ensure that technological interventions are ethically sound, culturally sensitive, and inclusive of diverse perspectives. Furthermore,We must prioritize the protection of digital ecosystems themselves, guarding against cyber threats and safeguarding data integrity”, he emphasized
The Minister reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Environment has been in the fore front in ensuring the protection and conservation of our rich biodiversity of wild fauna and flora through activities such as
Development and implementation of a National Strategy to combat forest and wildlife crime in Nigeria (2022-2026). Collaboration with frontline organizations in combatting illegal wildlife trade e.g Customs, EFCC, INTERPOL, ICPC, NFIU and
International and regional collaborations
Others are
The minister said “Let me seize this opportunity to sincerely appreciate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for their unparalleled support towards the fight against Wildlife trafficking, the German Government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), Born Free USA, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), TRAFFIC International, Africa Nature Investors (ANI), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Wild Africa Fund (WAF)”.
Others are the ongoing efforts to sign an MOU between the government of Nigeria and Cameroon on transboundary ecosystems conservation and sustainable management of forestry and wildlife resources
Also speaking ,  The Conservator General National parks(NPS) Ibrahim Goni, stated that government alone should not be left with environmental and wildlife issues
He urged the local and international Non-Governmental Organizations to support the conservation efforts of the National Park Service( NPS)
Goni who was represented by the
Assistance Conservator General National Park Service, Mohammed Kabir,
said the recent creation of 10 additional new National Parks is aimed to further enhance conservation activities, increase the forest cover protection management, improve internal security and ultimately reduce the negative impacts.
Similarly, Representative of United Nations Office of Drugs and crime ( UNODC) Country Office Nigeria, Oliver Stolpe said UNODC will be supporting the development and launch of a communications strategy
to strengthen the appreciation of Nigerians for the diversity of Nigerian Flora and Funa.
Stople said the UN agency has planned to engage young people as agent of change and employ thier creativity as well as technology savviness in helping to protect the environment and show to Nigerians the beauty of thier land.
“As we remind ourselves of the importance of preserving and protecting Nigeria’s rich biodiversity, permit me to recall some of the key findings from the wildlife chapter of UNODC ‘s organized Crime threat Assessment for Nigeria, published in 2023, the assessment found that Nigeria is a key transit hub and consolidation point for various forms of illegal trade in wildlife and forest products especially for pangolin, ivory and rosewood,” he explained.
Meanwhile,the Country Representatives Food and Agricultural Organizations ( FAO) in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Koffy Dominique said While the world is having numbers of emerge and re-emerge disease globally, “Over 60% of diseases we have is from wild animals. Ranging from Ebola, money pox, Lassa fever among others .
Dominique said it is a big concern today, this diseases are affecting human interaction animals and wildlife.
“Humans sees wildlife as their source of food. There is a need for us to both preserve human life and the relationship between humans and wildlife and how we can handle wildlife and still protect our self” he emphasized.