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We must publicise West African biodiversity conservation – Experts


  7 Février      68        Environnement/Eaux/Forêts (6388),

 

Abuja, Feb.7, 2019 (NAN) – Conservation experts on Thursday called on the West African Region to publicise its biodiversity conservation to draw global attention.

The experts said this at the maiden edition of the conference on Conservation and Environmental Management for West African NGOs in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Dr Muhtari Aminu-Kano, the Director-General, Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) said that West African countries must blow their own trumpets.

« Why are some of the other big global conservation organisations prioritising West African biodiversity? If nobody is blowing our issue to the international level, then we have to do it ourselves within this sub-region.

« West Africa has to prioritise and publicise its own biodiversity and challenges, so we get world attention and the necessary support.

« Why is West African biodiversity not having a high profile like the other regions?

« We talk conservation in Africa, outside Africa and the main publicity and programme are from East Africa, South Africa and some extent Central Africa.

« We have very rich biodiversity in this sub-region and we have challenges in biodiversity as they have in other region.

« Why is ours not getting gaining as much attention, »? he queried.

Aminu-Kano said that six countries and development partners from the World Bank, UNESCO, African Development Bank, FAO and others were in attendance at the conference.

« So, when we are in the same room, we will be on the same page, talk about what we are all doing, share that information and look at areas of collaboration. »

Mrs Thandiwe Chikomo of Birdlife International, West Africa Sub-regional Office, Dakar, said that collaboration was necessary to publicise the conservation.

« We have this interest mainly because we will like to see the collaboration because we know we cannot be able to conserve on our own.

« We need to actually do it with other likeminded organisations, this is why this workshop is important for the BirdLife Secretariat and BirdLife partners as well.

Mr Kwame Awere-Gyeke, the Technical Advisor, West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Programme (WABICC) under USAID corroborated the conservation collaboration.

« Again, it is all about people so, the gender dimension also comes in; how do we really get the people working together with us to share the same lessons.

« Wildlife trafficking is a major problem across the world, West Africa is really not a source of trafficking but it is a transit point so we are looking into what can be done about it.

« We are also looking at increased coastal resilience to climate change and reduced forest degradation and biodiversity loss.

« To do all that if we don’t have partners and we don’t have policy for government to pull through, then we don’t get anything.

« So the overall goal is to improve conservation, climate resilience, and promote low emission development across West Africa. »

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