The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has reiterated its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability.
Speaking at the NCF 35th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos, the President of the Board of Trustees(BOT) of NCF, Izoma Philip Asiodu urged the National Executive Council (NEC) of the foundation to work towards establishing offices in all the states of the federation.
Asiodu noted that the presence of the NCF at the subnational level would promote advocacy for nature conservation and sustainability at the grassroots.
He said that solving environmental problems require robust action and response at the local and global levels because conservation issues transcend borders.
The BOT president said that the foundation was able to plant 285, 000 trees through its Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) programme in the year under review.
He noted that the GRN programme is a flagship project of NCF which seeks to recover and restore Nigeria’s forest cover from the current seven per cent to 25 per cent by 2047.
Also speaking, the Chairman, NEC of NCF, Justice Bukunola Adebiyi, said that the efforts of the foundation in protecting endangered species showed promising results in the year under review (2023).
Adebiyi said that beyond the amazing feat achieved by the foundation in 2023, NCF continue to face threats from illegal logging, poaching and climate change.
According to her, the foundation in the years ahead will scale up conservation efforts, sustainable development, strengthen advocacy efforts to influence environmental policies and stronger legal framework for conservation.
In his report, the Director-General of NCF, Dr Joseph Onoja, said that 2023 marked the foundation’s third year of the implementation of its Strategic Action Plan (SAP 2021- 2025).
“Guided by the SAP, we became more focused and innovative and implemented impactful programmes and projects on environmental sustainability and nature conservation.
“We have made significant progress in our mission to preserve Nigeria’s biodiversity and promote sustainable development,” Onoja said.
The director-general listed other areas of intervention in the year under review as wetland conservation, wildlife conservation, research and monitoring, community based conservation and education.
“As we celebrate 44 years of conservation excellence, let us renew our commitment to protecting our natural heritage for future generations, ” Onoja said.
The AGM was attended by corporate and individual members of NCF, NEC members, members of BOT and students from various institutions.
