INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

National Geographic discusses Biological diversity or Biodiversity as all living species on earth which includes plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. Roughly 8.7 million plant and animal species are thought to exist, according to scientific estimates. As of right now, only about 1.2 million species the majority of which are insects have been recognized and described. In other words, millions of different creatures are yet completely unknown. This year’s theme of the IBD is a call to action for all stakeholders to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by endorsing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, commonly known as the Biodiversity Plan across all nations. According to the recent National Strategy for Combating wildlife and Forest Crime in Nigeria (2022 – 2026), Nigeria homes over 864 species of birds, 117 amphibians, 203 reptiles, over 775 species of fish, 285 mammals, over 4,715 vascular plants and many more undocumented species. There are five main factors that contribute to the loss of biodiversity: habitat, invasive species, pollution, overexploitation (intense pressure from hunting and fishing), and climate change brought on by global warming. Humans and their actions are directly involved in each scenario. The quantity of mammal, bird, reptile, fish, and amphibian species has decreased by an average of 69% during the last five decades according to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report 2022. Over the past decade, Nigeria has emerged as one of the major International Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWIT), source destination and transit countries for illegal wildlife trade globally. It is a major player in the supply chains of rosewood, elephant ivory and pangolin scales, which have been identified as the three biggest wildlife crime commodities in the world. BE PART OF A PLAN is a call for nations, countries, organizations, individuals, government, researchers, students, legal stakeholders and lawmakers to ensure the preservation of our natural biological resources. Nigeria should ensure efficient legal framework and stronger law enforcements for illegal trades, poaching and deforestation. The economy should be diversified beyond agriculture and dependence on exploitation of natural resources to encourage sustainable land use. Capacity building of institutions and organizations on planning and implementation of biological diversity, ecosystem management should be incorporated. More investment and budgets in national parks, reserves, zoos, and ecological gardens should be done. States should promote and support ecotourism and overall awareness of ecological diversities. As part of our 4 main programs at EERC is working to ensure Natural Resource and Environmental Management.

BIODIVERSITY IS A REPLICA OF OUR DIVERSITY
STOP ILLEGAL TRADES AND DEFORESTATION!
BE PART OF A PLAN!