By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has called for support for wildlife conservation in Africa.
This is following the commemoration of 2022 World Wildlife Day with the theme, ‘Recovering Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration.’
Activities for the day targeted Primary and Secondary school pupils and tourists and they included an educational tour of Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC); deliberation session on how individuals could be involved in the conservation of this key species; sharing of educational materials.
The activities attracted over 500 participants drawn from students and tourists. Some of the schools were Mater dei School, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos; Life Spring School, Shasha, Lagos; God First International School, Ketu Lagos; Acadia Hilton Secondary School, Magboro, Ogun State; Unique Elite Montessori School, Mapland International School, Agungi Lekki, Lagos; Divine Purpose School, Surulere, Lagos; Marigold College, Oworonshoki, Lagos among others.
“WWD is a wakeup call that brings wildlife challenges to the fore. It is always an opportunity to measure our impacts and renew measures to protect and preserve our wildlife,” Stella Egbe, Senior Conservation Manager, the Lead Species Programme of NCF, said.
“First of all, the public must be more aware of the role wildlife plays in balancing nature. Once the public has a clarity on this, nobody will ignore the business of protecting this important part of our environment. Gladly, days like the WWD helps to increase awareness and hopefully, we will get the desirable levels of awareness soon,” she added.
Nigeria needs to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have wide-ranging environmental and social impacts. “Restoring wild species is important for sustainable development and to build a healthier world,” Egbe said.