SUSTAINING ALL LIFE ON EARTH,
ENCOMPASSING ALL WILD ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES, AS KEY COMPONENTS OF THE
WORLD’S BIODIVERSITY.
This aligns with United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals; Goal 1 (No poverty), Goal 12 (ensure
consumption and production patterns), Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 15
(Life on land).
The world population is presently put around 7
Billion. The ever increasing population depends fully on the planet’s plants
and animals to survive. We all have the responsibility to protect the
environment and the resources in it. All of us as humans need one another, we
share common habitat in close proximity, we breath the same air, we depend on
wildlife and the earth rich biodiversity for our survival and well being.
Today, unsustainable
human activities such as pollution, indiscriminate tree felling, uncontrolled
burning of fossil fuels, mining, and over-exploitation etc, over the years had
altered the shape of the planet. Million species of wildlife had been wiped off
of the universe. For example, small and large mammals we used to see commonly
in our environment had gone into extinction while many are critically endangered
now. Elephant, buffalo, lion, hunting dog, hyena, caracal, Aadvark, Geoffrey
colobus monkey and vultures could only be found in limited areas in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Government
established her first National Park in 1979 by the creation of Kainji Lake
National Park. As of today, the country has 7 National Parks fairly spread across
the major ecological zones in the country. The table below shows the names of
the National Parks, their sizes and locations. The whole 7 National Parks occupied
a total land area of 22,206 sq km which is about 3% of the country’s total land
area of 923.74 sq km.
• Gashaka-Gumti
N. Park- 6,731 sq km-
Adamawa/Taraba States
• Cross
River National Park- 4,000 sq km-
Cross River State
• Old
Oyo National Park- 2,512 sq km - Oyo/Kwara States
• Chad
Basin National Park- 2,258 sq km-Borno/Yobe
states
• Kamuku
National Park- 1,121 sq km - Kaduna State
• Okomu
National Park- 202 sq km - Edo State
Having
given us a brief history of National Parks in the world, Africa and Nigeria, I
wish to itemize the benefits they provide practically in the protection and
conservation of biodiversity which is the reason why we are here today.
1. Protection of watershed
2.
Contribution
towards Carbon Sequestration
3.
Employment
generation
4.
Research
5.
Infrastructural
Development
6.
Recreation
7.
Foreign
Exchange
Challenges:
1.
Overexploitation
2.
Various Anthropogenic
Activities
3.
Outbreak of
Diseases
4.
Insecurity
5.
Poor funding
6.
Inadequate
Manpower
Way forward:
1.
Creation of
more National Parks in the country
2.
Aggressive
Public Sensitization and Media Advocacy on the importance of wildlife
conservation.
3.
Inclusion of
wildlife Conservation Education in our primary and secondary schools as a way
of catching them young.
4.
Liberalization
of the sector for more participation:
5.
Security
6.
Funding
Distinguished ladies
and gentlemen, as we gather here today to celebrate this year’s World Wildlife
Day, I want to strongly plead and appeal to all of us to join hands together to
protect our environment. Humanity must take no more from nature than
nature can replenish. Let us say “NO” to indiscriminate tree felling,
killing of animals, use of chemical to fish and wildlife trafficking. Animal
has right of life as we all have as humans. I want to therefore urge the
government at all levels i.e. from federal, State and local governments, the
civil society, private sector, individuals to add their voices and take
practical actions towards conserving wildlife and ensure its sustenance for the
present and future generations. It is a business for all of us, hence, nobody is
permitted to be an onlooker.
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