Biodiversity essential to lives, communities – Jibril

The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril has said that biodiversity is fundamental to the livelihoods of communities and they rely on environmental sustenance. Th ey also rely on economic and social activities; be it productive, extractive or social, have positive or negative impacts on biodiversity, he added. Jibril said this recently during this year’s international day for biodiversity with the theme: “Biodiversity and sustainable Tourism” in Abuja. A c c o r d i n g t o h i m , i t emphasizes the importance of biodiversity in sustaining development, particularly in the area of sustainable tourism. It is therefore an opportunity for us to refl ect on the importance of biodiversity for our social wellbeing particularly as it relates to eco-tourism.

“Nigeria recognizes the challenge posed by deforestation however, government also recognizes the importance of maintaining the diversity of our genetic resources, species, and ecosystems for improving the livelihoods of our people and their social welfare, adding that the continuous development of tourism centers and conservation areas through ecological representatives such as our National Parks, Game Reserves, Strict Nature Reserves and sanctuaries are given top priority by this administration,” he explained. “Government will continue to address the degraded ecosystems nation-wide in the 2017-2018 development years through the Ministry’s collaborative initiative with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Th is will not only restore our degraded ecosystems but also enhance our tourism and cultural values, and build ecosystem resilience against the impact of climate change,” he stressed. “We remain committed to implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which has been reviewed in line with the Global Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation 2011-2020 and it’s Aichi Biodiversity Target,” he said. Government also supports the development of conservation areas like the Zoological and Botanical Gardens throughout the Federation. This does not only enhance biodiversity conservation but also promote sustainable tourism and provides educational and Job opportunity for youth.

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