As the world searches for ways of reversing the impending biodiversity, the West African sub-region has been urged to stake more resources towards achieving the 30 by 30 vision, a global conservation initiative aimed at protecting 30% of the planet by 2030.
This recommendation came from Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salami who has also appealed for urgent global response to biodiversity crisis.
The Minister who stated this at the ECOWAS coordination meeting on expanding and strengthening ECOWAS Protected Area (Mapping out ECOWAS Contribution to 30 by 30) in Abuja, Nigeria disclosed that the vision of Nigeria and the rest of ECOWAS is to ensure that the World truly unites and responds as one on biodiversity crisis.
Salako said, “By launching the ECOWAS appeal for an ambitious global response to the biodiversity crisis, our region played a significant role in securing the adoption of this commitment in Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. For this I warmly congratulate you and invite you to please stand up and thumb up for West Africa.”
He stressed that Nigeria will continue to champion her leadership role in mobilizing and organizing West Africa to protect its regional biodiversity.
He said the meeting is to plan the next steps and to turn Africa ambitions into concrete actions.
The Minister reiterated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, is a committed environment advocate and climate hero who has prioritized sustainability as a core principle of his economic agenda.
The three planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is therefore receiving adequate attention in the Presidential deliverables of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The Minister further stressed that the healthier our region’s biodiversity is, the better it will be in withstanding future climate and biodiversity shocks and the more resilient to continue to deliver for the people.
“The ECOWAS region is the only part of the world that is looking at its contribution to halting biodiversity loss through a regional lens a template critical for global success and to securing nature for future generations.” he said.
The Minister however commended the partners, including United Nations Development Programme, Bloomberg ocean, Campaign for nature for providing both financial and technical support.
ECOWAS representative, Benard Koffi, in his presentation said that the ECOWAS countries have played a significant role in securing the adoption of the global commitment to expand protected areas to 30% of the Planet by 2030.
Koffi said the regional body has demonstrated collaboration, expertise, and strength in our advocacy for the protection of our natural heritage.
“We are matching good intentions with concrete actions to show the World that we are ready to expand our protected areas and strengthen their effectiveness.
“Today, we pave the way towards achieving a bold new vision to cooperate to protect 30% of our ecosystems so that we benefit now and so that our children and grandchildren will share in those benefits long into the future, when we set aside biodiverse areas for protection.” He stated.
He said the ECOWAS must commit to protect biodiverse areas effectively by ensuring no environmentally damaging activity is allowed.
