By Franklin Alli & Moses Nosike

 Global Environment Facility (GEF), an independent financial organisation based in France, has budgeted to spend $5.7 million (about N843.6 million) over the next four years in Nigeria for conservation of biodiversity in the Niger Delta region.

Accordingly, four states(Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta) and 20 communities in the region have selected as the prime beneficiaries of the pilot project, the success of which the organisation says will be replicated in the other 5 states in the areas.

The project,  tagged ‘Strategic Programme for West Africa- Niger Delta Biodivesity Conservation Projects,” is being implemented through the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) Nigeria, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment(FME) including civil society and representatives of local communities in the region.

Country Director,UNDP Nigeria, Mr. Janthomas Miemstra, told participants during an inception workshop on conservation of biodiversity that in addition to existing portfolio of GEF projects across the country, such as climate change project, the Critical Ecosystem Management under Fadama II and the Local Empowerment and Environmental Management Project (LEEMP) including IEM Intelligent Energy Management ) of Trans-boundary Areas between Niger and Nigeria, the Niger-Basin project in Nigeria and the Guinea Current, GEF has added conservation of biodiversity in the country to its projects portfolio.
He disclosed that a great chunk of fund has been earmarked for biodiversity conservation in the country .  “For the next four years, we want to conserve and protect rare animals and plants species in Nigeria’s oil states.”

“Projects like this require adequate funding, and governments and oil companies should be committed to protecting biodiversity across the country in order to ensure a future that is green, cleaner and eco-friendly,” he said.
“We attached much importance to the projects, and we embraced UNDP/GEF projects because the projects are in line with our ‘Green Environment’ policy,” said Commissioner for Environment, Rivers State, Barr. Kingsley Chinda.
He disclosed that Rivers State Government has commenced data collection of animals to enable them know the ones that are still in existence or are extinct. 

“We are now taking animal census to enable us come up with policy, and we have mapped out the Eastern bye-pass for the State’s Biodivesity Park, and we are also working on a Green Pennisulla at another site,” he said.  The Commissioner, however, charged that representatives of local communities be involved in both the planning and implementing of the projects.

“We should protect biodiversity just as footballers protect their goal posts,” said Rufus Edegba, of Federal Ministry of Environment.

The way forward, he proffered is that there should be Biodiversity Trust Fund for the country, and a bio-prospecting policy be developed and be fully implemented.”

Buttressing, Dr. Matthew Omare Done, of Centre for Society and Biodiversity Wildlife Preservation, said that as one of the hotspots with a unique diversity of animals and plants life, the proposed trust fund should be established with a transparent management structure to allocate resources to biodiversity conservation in priority areas in the region.

“Niger Delta is one of Africa’s largest wetlands and one of the world’s largest wetland ecosystem. It’s a reception for all waters flowing from West Africa’s 23 rivers flowing through the Forcados into other rivers in the region.

Dr. David Ladipo of IITA, Ibadan, in his presentation, lauded GEF’s moves to bring the green sector of Niger Delta back to life, stating that out of 20 %, only 2.4 per cent of the country’s forest reserves are left remaining.  If only 2.4% of our forest reserves is available, the forest’s gone,’ he warned. “People must be convinced that our lives are dependent on biodiversity, and if we are to recreate the forests, we’re to develop a lot of technology to recreate the forests in the Niger Delta.”