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.

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) says it boosted the economic value of 1,000 Nigerians and planted 276, 860 trees in 2023 through its Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) Programme.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Oladapo Soneye, Head Communications, NCF, on Thursday in Lagos.

Soneye said that the overall goal of the GRN Programme was to contribute and facilitate a reforestation scheme in 25 per cent of Nigeria’s total landmass.

According to him, GRN is a 30-year Programme that will run from 2017 to 2047, while simultaneously promoting actions to curb further deforestation and forest degradation.

He mentioned some other activities of the programme to include fuel-efficient cook stove training, provision of clean water, employment as eco-guards, tree nursery raising, enterprise development around non-timber forest products and many others.

He noted that the livelihood support component of the GRN Programme was to reduce the total dependence of communities on the forest; reduce deforestation caused by fuel-wood extraction, encourage conservation of wildlife, and prevent hideouts of criminals in the forest reserves.

He listed some of the beneficiary communities in the livelihood component to include Iko Esai and Becheve in Cross River; Ajingi in Kano; Guzape in Abuja and Awka-Etiti in Anambra, among others.

“The tree planting exercise happened across the nation’s six geo-political zones.

“Economic trees planted include avocados, mangoes, cashew, orange; and timber trees like Melina and teak etc.

“The trees were planted in forest reserves, National Parks, community forests, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions among others,” Soneye said.

He said that the livelihood support and tree planting projects were made possible through the support of the German Government through the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, Germany (NABU), and Stanbic IBTC Holdings.

He mentioned others who supported the programme, including Access Corporation, AFR100, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, International Labour Organisation (ILO), First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Ltd, and many others.

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has been the foremost environmental NGO dedicated to nature conservation and biodiversity resource management for over 40 years.

It has remained resolute in ensuring people live and prosper in harmony with nature.

As the year 2023 winds down, the conservation community is already celebrating some big wins termed ‘Conservation Triumphs 2023.’

Information obtained from the X handle of Wild Africa Fund showed that one of the big wins is the return of blue whales to Seychelles

“Once on the brink, blue whales make a remarkable comeback in the Seychelles, offering hope for their future.

“Another big win is the Scimitar-Horned Oryx Thriving in Chad.

“From extinct-in-the-wild to making-a-comeback! Chad celebrates the success of reintroducing scimitar-horned oryx, a testament to global conservation collaboration,” Wild Africa Fund said.

The third big win in 2023 is the rescue of Giant Pangolins in Kenya

Rediscovering giants! Kenya’s Pangolin Project leads efforts to protect the endangered giant ground pangolin, emphasising the link between community and wildlife well-being.

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) on Saturday called for a safe sustainable water for migratory birds to sustain biodiversity in the aquatic ecosystem.

Miss Ibukun Lawal, the NCF Environmental Education Officer, said this at an event to mark the 2023 World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) at the Totowu wetland, located in Egan, Igando, a suburb of Lagos State.

The 2023 WMBD has the theme: “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.”

She said that water was very important to ensure the survival of migratory birds.

Lawal said that birds need water to clean their feathers from dirt to make their flights easier and lighter.

She noted that just as human beings need regular supply of water, birds also require safe supply of water to survive.

Lawal said that migratory birds need lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, coastal marshes, and oceans for feeding, drinking as well as nesting.

“These are vital places for migratory birds to rest and refuel during migration.

“The impacts of climate change are having a direct impact on the quantity and quality of water resources and on the conservation status of many migratory bird species,” she added.

According to her, the WMBD is an annual event that is set aside to raise awareness about migratory birds.

Lawal added that the NCF was using the occasion to underscore the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.

She said that the 2023 edition of the WMBD was to initiate conversation around sustainable bed life.

She said that as part of the activities to mark the WMBD, the foundation took sustainable birdlife advocacy to some schools it invited.

“Some of the schools invited are T&G School, Aima School, St Bernard School, St Zita School and Speed Schools.”

She said that all the schools were located around Egan-Igando, where the NCF has about 34 conservation clubs.

She said that with the aid of binoculars, the students sighted the following species of birds; African Jacana, Black Heron, African Thrush and cattle egret, among others.

Lawal said that the Totowu wetland is rich in biodiversity.

She, however, called on the government to conserve the Totowu wetland to preserve its biodiversity and to protect some of the endangered species that live there.