The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has canvassed environmental sustainability without destroying the ecosystem, stressing the need for humans to work together for safe solutions to transition and achieve all the sustainability goals without putting others in a harmful state.
The foundation made this call recently at 2024 Green Ball, pointing out that, “you don’t want to start looking for rare earth metals where you have a biodiversity area; you are trying to solve climate change problems by using renewable energy, but now you are destroying biodiversity.”
Joseph Onoja, the foundation’s director general, said that the intention of the Green Ball is to create a common synergy for harmless solutions so that resources that can be used to take care of one can also be used to take care of all.
According to the director, “We don’t want a situation whereby, while you are combating one, you are exacerbating another one,” explaining that the NCF Green Ball also serves as an avenue to raise funds which, at the end of the day, are used to address a particular challenge or execute a project.
“Last year, we looked at mangrove restoration that ties in nicely into what we call the Green Recovery Nigeria programme, which is, something that we have ongoing.
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So this year, we have planted over 20,000 mangroves with communities along the coastal region. Even here in Lagos, we are working with the National Theatre, where we’re trying to restore the mangrove, the wetlands there, planting mangrove seedlings there so that mangrove seedlings will be able to grow in that area alone,” he explained.
He disclosed that the foundation planted over 5,000 mangrove seedlings so that they would be able to provide for the wetlands to continue to do their work because wetlands are not wastelands. Wetlands are very important and they serve as the sponge when there’s excess water, and when there is low water, then they will release that water gradually so that there won’t be flooding in cities.
On collaboration, he explained that NCF works very closely with the government across states and has partnered with other sectors to achieve a common goal.
“We are a member of the National Council on Change. Recently we were announced as a member of the Cross River Council on Climate Change. So, we need to continue to create more and more collaboration. We know that we cannot do it alone, so we continue to push together,” he said, assuring that funds raised from the green ball events will continue to go on conservative activities
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