As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2019 World Wildlife Day, the United States Consulate General in Lagos in collaboration with the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) and Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative has called for concerted action on marine wildlife protection in the country.
In a statement made available to BusinessDay, Abiodun Adekoya, communications director at ICCDI, noted that effective climate change mitigation in the country would require concerted action by governments and individuals, with an emphasis on conservation education, recycling programs and the creation of a legal framework for the nation’s policy on the environment.
Also, Russell Brooks, public affairs officer of the U.S. Consulate General Lagos, in his remarks at the event attended by leading environmental conservation activists, urged Nigerians to treat the conservation of the oceans and aquatic wildlife as an individual responsibility, in order to preserve marine habitats for future generations.
“Marine wildlife has sustained human civilisation and development for over a thousand years, from providing food and nourishment, to providing material for handicrafts and construction. We cannot take their survival for granted,” Brooks said.
“We can reduce some of the negative effects of our activity on life under the water, by working hard to spread the message to reduce marine pollution.” He added.
Brooks, speaking on the theme of ‘Life below Water’, observed that as much as 40percent of the world’s oceans are negatively affected by human activity, including overexploitation of marine species, loss of coastal habitats and pollution.
He highlighted the crucial importance of the oceans and marine species to human development and emphasized the necessity for increased conservation education.
Josephine Okojie
