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Fresh initiative to tackle threat of invasive alien species

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Fresh initiative to tackle threat of invasive alien species

Governments, non-governmental organisations and local communities have taken up the Honolulu Challenge and agreed to take bold actions to counter invasive alien species that harm biodiversity.
During the 2016 World Conservation Congress that held recently in Honolulu in Hawai’i, a call was made by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the host community in in the U.S. state for greater action in addressing invasive alien species in order to protect biodiversity and human wellbeing from their impacts.

Invasive alien species:. An invasive North American mink predating a gannet chick in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. Photo credit: BirdLife International
Invasive alien species:. An invasive North American mink predating a gannet chick in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. Photo credit: BirdLife International

Invasive alien species are species that have been moved by humans, either by accident or intentionally, into areas outside of their natural habitats, and pose negative impacts upon native biodiversity, ecosystem services or human well-being. They are also regarded as plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem, and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health.

“Invasive alien species are among the most serious threats to biodiversity, and have a potentially devastating impact on our food security, health and economies,” says Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General. “The launch of the Honolulu Challenge couldn’t be more timely: concrete action is urgently needed if we want to curb species loss and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Governments, non-governmental organisations and communities are making progress by taking steps to put preventive measures in place, and to eradicate or control already established invasive alien species.

“We need more bold actions,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), at the launch of the Honolulu Challenge.

“Several global targets, including Aichi Biodiversity Targets 9 and 12, are far from being met. Invasive species still wreak havoc on numerous threatened species and ecosystems and have a serious economic impact in all countries. This is particularly relevant to oceanic islands, where urgent action is needed to prevent and eradicate invasive alien species which pose high risk on endemic and endangered species. More collaboration and fast actions are needed,” he added.

“New Zealand is lending its support to the Honolulu Challenge as a leader in combating invasive species and protecting biodiversity,” says Conservation Minister for New Zealand, Maggie Barry. “Our predator-free vision is by far the largest such project ever attempted and has drawn significant international interest. Through Predator Free 2050 the Government has set a target of completely eradicating possums, rats and stoats from New Zealand and making the country safe again for the native species these introduced predators threaten to wipe out.  As a Government we’re backing New Zealanders to be at the forefront of a global solution.”

Invasive alien species are a major driver of species extinction and also threaten agricultural, forestry and aquaculture production. Their negative impact costs 20 billion Euros in the European Union each year, according to the Institute of European Environmental Policy, and $120 billion in the United States. The problem is said to be growing globally due to the influences of globalisation and climate change.

Between 1970 and 2007, the number of invasive alien species in Europe grew by 76 per cent.
The Honolulu Challenge proposes 11 measures to address this threat, including to:

  • Multiply efforts to develop and enact effective biosecurity policies and programmes for countries and islands;
  • Greatly increase the number and scale of invasive alien species eradications, especially on islands and in other priority sites;
  • Integrate prevention and control of invasive alien species into planning and management for Protected Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas;
  • Invest in the development, application and sharing of innovative technologies, and other solutions to prevent further invasions, and eradicate or control invasive alien species;
  • Engage with relevant sectors and civil society to raise awareness of invasive alien species,
    including the compounded impacts under climate change, and increase public support for potential solutions.

Four governments and expert organisations declared commitments to achieve their challenges at the launch in Honolulu. New Zealand has committed to making the country free from invasive alien predators by 2050, and to eradicate all invasive alien species from island nature reserves by 2025. The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has committed to doubling its long-term co-investment in invasive alien species management. BirdLife International aims to remove invasive alien threats from at least a further 35 oceanic islands worldwide by 2020. Island Conservation has committed to protect more than 100 threatened species at risk from invasive species on 40 oceanic islands by 2020.

In Mexico, the Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas, A.C. (GECI) with the support of federal government and local communities, has committed to removing invasive mammals from all islands of Mexico by 2030.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is a supporter of this initiative. At its UN Biodiversity Conference1, to be held in Cancun, Mexico, from 4 to 17 December 2016, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will consider further measures to be taken under the Convention to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 9.

Stakeholders seek protection of erosion, flood risk areas in Anambra

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Stakeholders seek protection of erosion, flood risk areas in Anambra

Enforcement and legislation on urban development, land- use and protection of natural habitats have been identified as a major bane in the fight against erosion in Anambra State.

A gully erosion site in Anambra State
A gully erosion site in Anambra State

Rising from the First Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) Stakeholders Engagement Workshop that held recently, to which MDAs were invited, the Project observed that unregulated activities that adversely impact the environment and accelerates land degradation, gully formation and flood events are of the increase in the state.

So also are gaps in the enforcement of various provisions for Environment, Land-Use, Urban Development and Waste Management and, in most cases, existing laws are not enforced while legislation is seen to be weak or non-existing in other instances.

It is against this background that the stakeholders’ conference called for urgent action, to protect the state’s depleting land area and promote environmental safeguards in communities. Actions required range from appropriate legislation to strict enforcement in the following areas, among others. The actions were listed to include:

  1. Recovery/Creation of vegetative buffer zones and forest reserves around the state. Encroachment into these “Protected Areas” must be discouraged. Communities should be advised against activities that degrade the environment like unregulated development, deforestation, bush-burning, improper farming practices and so forth.
  2. Restraining residents from returning to reclaimed land areas for which they been compensated before erosion control work. The idea is that reclaimed lands become public property that should be reserved for the development of nature-themed recreational parks, groves and economic tree sheds for the benefit of the communities. Specific laws should be considered to check encroachment with strict penalties.
  3. Creation of Riparian Vegetation on both flanks of our rivers and streams to protect these natural resources, encourage agrarian culture and sustain livelihoods at the grassroots.
  4. Regulation of “Watershed” at all gully sites – whether under intervention or not. This requires appropriate water conservation practices to manage stormwater run-offs utilising low-cost and fit-for-purpose methods to harvest water for domestic and agricultural purposes – potable water tanks, irrigation ponds etc.
  5. There is urgent need to stem development on flood-plains and natural waterways. When natural water channels are disturbed, there is increased flooding in residential neighbourhood
  6. MDAs involved in town planning, urban development and construction must ensure that stormwater management is adequately provided for in their designs. Drains must terminate into safe-points at low velocity to reduce/eliminate the erosive damage of bulk water discharge.

The conference appealed for executive and legislative actions to support this collective mandate stressing, “This urgent call-to-action will be incomplete without a holistic solution for managing solid wastes in our communities”.

It disclosed that the Anambra NEWMAP would provide information and implementation support through the “Integrated Watershed Management Plan”, which was flagged-off by the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, in August. In addition, the Federal NEWMAP office is installing HydroMet and “Early-warning” systems in Omor to aid agriculture and flood disaster management in the Anambra basin.

Insurgency: Hundreds of Nigerian refugees in Chad, Cameroon, Niger – NEMA

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Insurgency: Hundreds of Nigerian refugees in Chad, Cameroon, Niger – NEMA

A total of 239,834 Nigerians who were displaced by the activities of insurgents in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states are still living as refugees in neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Republic of Chad and Niger Republic.

Nigerian refugees in Chad
Nigerian refugees in Chad

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), over 100,000 displaced Nigerians reside in Niger, while the second largest number of refugees was in Cameroon.

Quoting from a recently released humanitarian intervention report by NEMA, the agency’s Head for Media and Public Relations, Mr. Sani Datti, in a statement issued on Monday, said, “There are presently 20,804 displaced Nigerians living in the Republic of Chad; 80,709 in the Republic of Cameroon; and 138,321 in the Republic of Niger.”

He noted that about 29,581 displaced Nigerians who fled their communities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states to Republic of Niger and Cameroon voluntarily returned last year. Datti stated that 13,046 Nigerian returnees came from Niger Republic in May 2015 and were received in Geidam, Yobe State.

According to him, between April and December 2015, NEMA received about 16,595 Nigerians who voluntarily returned from Cameroon through the Sahuda border crossing area near Mubi, Adamawa State.

Datti said, “Some of the Nigerians that fled to neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon were provided with humanitarian relief support by the Federal Government of Nigeria through NEMA, to alleviate their suffering.

“The displaced Nigerians have also received humanitarian support from the host governments, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the host communities and Nigerian citizens living in the three host countries.”

Datti noted that the agency adopted a monthly Humanitarian Coordination Meeting, a forum which consists of relevant Federal Government agencies, UN systems and international non-governmental organisations.

The forum, he said, undertakes analysis on causes of humanitarian situations, conducts need assessments, identifies and provides humanitarian interventions based on its respective mandates. “The report added that due to the successes recorded by the Nigerian military with the support of Multi-National Joint Military Task Force in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents, the humanitarian dashboard is fast changing,” Datti said in the statement.

He noted that focus was gradually shifting towards reconstruction, rehabilitation, resettlement, recovery and dignified return of IDPs back home, while the process for the return of Nigerian refugees from neighbouring countries were equally on-going.

Paris Agreement: Guidance for designing NAMAs updated

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Paris Agreement: Guidance for designing NAMAs updated

The comprehensive guide on how to formulate effective Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in developing countries, produced in 2013 by the United Nations development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Framework Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat and the UNEP DTU Partnership (formerly the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Risø Centre), has now been updated. The adoption of the Paris Agreement and related national climate action plans, more known as NDCs, called for an update of the NAMA guidance document to bring clarity to the relevance of NAMAs in the Paris Agreement.

The original group of institutions collaborated with the NAMA Facility to produce the updated document entitled “Guidance for NAMA Design in the context of NDC implementation,” which was launched at a side event held on the margins of COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco
The original group of institutions collaborated with the NAMA Facility to produce the updated document entitled “Guidance for NAMA Design in the context of NDC implementation,” which was launched at a side event held on the margins of COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco

The original group of institutions collaborated with the NAMA Facility to produce the updated document entitled “Guidance for NAMA Design in the context of NDC implementation,” which was launched at a side event held on the margins of COP 22 in Marrakech. Two countries who have re-envisioned their NAMAs in the new Post-Paris landscape, Costa Rica and Lebanon, shared their experiences at the event, which also featured presentations by UNDP, New Climate Institute and the UNFCCC on the importance of NAMAs to support NDC implementation.

NAMAs represent a valuable opportunity for developing countries to address greenhouse gas emissions while remaining true to their sustainable development priorities and needs. Indeed, many countries have already developed NAMAs as instruments for participating in the global mitigation agenda, and as a means of leveraging national and international support for more effective and transformational climate actions. In light of the Paris Agreement, these NAMAs have gained recognition as a formidable vehicle to achieve NDC targets.

The updated document as well as further information on NAMAs can be found here.

The UNEP DTU Partnership, a tripartite agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark, UNEP and the Technical University of Denmark, is a UNEP Collaborating Centre as well as a research and advisory institution on energy, climate and sustainable development.

The UNEP DTU Partnership is comprised of two centers: the Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development; and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (the Energy Efficiency hub, under SE4ALL).

The Partnership assists developing countries transition towards more low carbon development paths, and supports the integration of climate-resilience into national development. The Partnership’s is located in the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has a team of more than 60 scientists and economists from 20 countries.

50 countries accelerate low carbon transport

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50 countries accelerate low carbon transport

The first-ever United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference ended on Sunday in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, with more than 50 countries endorsing the “Ashgabat Statement on Commitments and Policy Recommendations,”’ with a view to supporting cleaner, greener transportation – from local transit systems to worldwide multimodal networks.

Group photo with the participants of the Ashgabat United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference in Turkmenistan. Photo credit: UN/Amanda Voisard
Group photo with the participants of the Ashgabat United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference in Turkmenistan. Photo credit: UN/Amanda Voisard

“The Conference has reinforced the importance of sustainable transport and has shown it is a shared global task,” said Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, at the closing ceremony.

“Sustainable transport solutions are key to leaving no one behind, securing prosperity, enabling access to services and protecting the environment,” concluded Mr. Wu, adding that “without sustainable transport, there will be no lasting progress on climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Noting the many encouraging success stories delegates had shared at the two-day conference, Mr. Wu said more needed to be done, including mobilising trillions of dollars in investments and implementing legal, regulatory and governance frameworks. He also underlined the need to continue and strengthen capacity-building to developing countries.

“We have identified areas for regional and international cooperation and shared far-reaching policy recommendations,” he said. “We have, collectively and individually, identified concrete actions to move the world towards the new and essential paradigm of sustainable transport. Looking ahead, we must use our shared understanding to advance sustainable transport for all, by delivering on our commitments, forging new alliances and transforming our policies.”

He added that policy decisions needed to meet the needs of all in a low-carbon manner, requiring integrating transport modes and tapping into technological opportunities to bring the fundamental, transformative changes.

 

Stakeholders endorse “Ashgabat Statement”

Concluding the two-day conference with the so-called “Ashgabat Statement,” participants stressed the need to promote the integration of science, technology and innovation into sustainable transport systems by tapping into technological opportunities in the decades to come, in order to bring about fundamental, transformative changes to transport systems.

This, they said, can be achieved through the use of energy-efficient technology, as well as information and communications technology, as they called for strengthening capacity-building support to developing countries.

They also welcomed stakeholders who had developed and launched sustainable transport initiatives, and called on all stakeholders to continue to seek collaborative partnerships for new, innovative, sustainable transport paradigms.

Also during the closing ceremony, Igor Runov, UN Under-Secretary-General and Head of the International Road Transport Union, presented the summary of the Transport Business Forum, which had been held earlier in the day.

Three other events held on Sundy focused on transport safety, the needs of countries in special situations – mostly least developed countries – and avenues for financing sustainable transport.

“Sustainable transport is a challenge for all countries, but countries in special situations, including least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states, face particular obstacles,” said Gyan Chandra Acharya, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative dealing with the needs of those countries (UN-OHRLLS), in his opening remarks to an event focused on sustainable transport and transit solutions in countries in special situations.

 

Developing countries face challenges in financing sustainable transport systems

Among the challenges highlighted by the panelists, and which, they acknowledged, must be addressed in order to achieve sustainable development in these countries, include high transport cost, restricted access to the sea, limited air service for passengers and cargo, and difficulties securing investments and partnerships.

“There are, altogether, about 1.1 billion people in these countries, so when we look at the global programmes, global solutions, as well as global development frameworks, we have to look at those countries if we want to leave no one behind, and make it inclusive of all,” noted Mr. Acharya, referring to the rallying call of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The conference brought together key stakeholders from Governments, the UN system and other international organisations, the private sector, and civil society to engage in a dialogue that emphasises the integrated and cross-cutting nature of sustainable transport and its multiple roles in supporting the achievement of the SDGs. All modes of transport – road, rail, aviation, ferry and maritime – were addressed.

How NEMA manages about 5m IDPs in Northeast

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How NEMA manages about 5m IDPs in Northeast

The Northeast region of Nigeria has suffered severe humanitarian crisis as a result of Boko Haram insurgency. This resulted in drastic decline in socio-economic activities including farming, pastoralism, commerce and social interactions among the populace especially in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Women and children in a IDPs camp. The displacement was informed by the Boko Haram insurgency. Photo credit: channelstv.com
Women and children in a IDPs camp. The displacement was informed by the Boko Haram insurgency. Photo credit: channelstv.com

Similarly, there has been unprecedented displacement of persons from the region to safer areas in Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, and others including the Federal Capital Territory.

According to a Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) developed by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with NEMA https://nigeria.iom.int/dtm as a means of collecting and disseminating data on IDPs, about 389,281 persons were displaced in 2013; 868,335 in 2014; 1,846,999 in 2015 and 1,822,541 as at October 2016.

The Humanitarian Coordination Forum (HCF), consisting of relevant Federal Government agencies, UN agencies and International Non-Government Organisations (INGOs), was adopted both at the national and state levels. The forum meets monthly under the coordination of NEMA to analyse and proffer solutions to humanitarian situations. A platform for coordinating efforts of all humanitarian actors and daily administration at the camps (Camp Coordination and Camp Management) was also created.

There are currently 18 formal internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps in Borno State; seven in Yobe State and four in Adamawa State, while there are 16 satellite camps in the liberated areas of Borno State.

Furthermore, to address the humanitarian challenges in the North East, the Federal Government through NEMA established cells in Maiduguri and sub-cells in Yola, Adamawa State and Damaturu, Yobe State, in collaboration with the military. This was to create access for aid workers to provide the much needed assistance to the IDPs and open a safe corridor for local people that escaped Boko Haram occupations and repentant militants to move into safety.

NEMA set up Operations Office in Gombe and Adamawa states to cater for the influx of IDPs and those taking refuge in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states and also deployed its staff to Maiduguri and the Humanitarian sub-cells in Damaturu and Yola to provide support and assistance to IDPs.

To complement the efforts of the affected state governments as well as cushion the effects of humanitarian challenges, especially on food security and nutrition, NEMA has been providing food items to the IDPs in the camps. To also ensure the steady supply of these food and Non-Food items (NFIs), NEMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Borno and Yobe states.

It has equally entered into a mutual agreement with Adamawa state government on the provision of relief materials to IDPs. The agency also provided drugs to some major hospitals in the zones and deployed medical team and equipment to the Northeast to support the provision of Medicare to the IDPs while providing working tools for IDPs with expertise in selected skills.

NEMA has regularly received returnees from neighboring countries who fled the country due to the insurgency and presented humanitarian relief assistance to them. The agency encourages corporate and individual donors to provide support to the North East region by delivering humanitarian aid directly to affected states.

NEMA is also a part of the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative (PCNI), the Victims Support Fund (VSF), and the Safe School Initiative (SSI), all initiatives of the Federal Government put together to support IDPs in the North East.

In summary, NEMA has provided support to the affected populations living in camps, liberated areas, and host communities and to the refugees across the borders. However, the humanitarian landscape is fast changing due to the successes recorded by the Nigerian Army with the support of Multi-National Joint Military Task Force (MJTF) in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

The focus is gradually shifting towards Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Resettlement, Recovery and dignified return of IDPs back home while process for the return of Nigerian refugees from neighboring countries is equally on-going. This is a cross-cutting, multi-stakeholding, multi-disciplinary and cost intensive endeavor requiring support from all stakeholders.

It is interesting to mention that while local and international humanitarian responders including the UN system and public spirited individuals have given valuable support towards overcoming the humanitarian crisis in the Northeast, there is no doubt that the Federal Government has played the greatest role in this endeavor.

NEMA will continue to support and work towards bridging the identified gaps in humanitarian response through enhanced coordination, capacity building and strengthening of collaboration with the affected states and relevant stakeholders including line MDAs, local and international response organisations and the UN system.

By Sani Datti (Head of Information Unit and Public Affairs at NEMA)

What makes GEF’s Small Grants Programme unique, by Beyai

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What makes GEF’s Small Grants Programme unique, by Beyai

Nigeria Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr Pa Lamin Beyai, has said that the uniqueness of the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) lies in its decentralised grants awards decision-making which is based on strategic direction by a voluntary National Steering Committee (NSC) in each participating country.

Nigeria Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr Pa Lamin Beyai (second from left), Elizabeth Olofin (representing the NSC) (left); Kusimo David of the Department of Planning, Research & Statistics, GEF Desk Office (representing Director and GEF Operational Focal Point (OFP) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Amos Tanko Ibrahim) (second right); and National Coordinator of the GEF-SGP, Mrs Ibironke Olabamise (right), at the event in Abuja last Wednesday
Nigeria Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr Pa Lamin Beyai (second from left); Elizabeth Olofin (representing the NSC) (left); Kusimo David of the Department of Planning, Research & Statistics, GEF Desk Office (representing Director and GEF Operational Focal Point (OFP) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Amos Tanko Ibrahim) (second right); and National Coordinator of the GEF-SGP, Mrs Ibironke Olabamise (right), at the event in Abuja last Wednesday

Dr Beyai made the submission in Abuja on Wednesday, 23 November 2016, at a ceremony to appreciate and inaugurate old and new NSC member of the GEF-SGP.

“The strength of the GEF-SGP depends on the effort of the NSC members,” he said. “I therefore look forward to a very outstanding support of every member of the NSC to take SGP yet to higher levels of achievements.”

He pointed out that even though the grant amount is small compared to the country’s size as well as her environmental challenges, “yet the benefits of Nigeria participating in UNDP GEF-SGP are worthy of note.”

He listed these to include:

  • Participation of local, poor, marginalised communities in GEF for environmental benefits and livelihood enhancement,
  • Utilisation of GEF opportunities for maximum impact on the citizens,
  • To enhance UNDP Country Programme from the grassroots,
  • Unique, transparent delivery mechanism, and
  • Opportunities for resource mobilisation from remote donors.

According to him, about 116 projects have so far been supported in Nigeria, adding that close to 10 organisational and individual awards have been recorded as thousands of community dwellers have benefited as well as taken active part in project design and implementation.

Beyai said: “One major outcome of this is project sustainability because the communities took ownership of these projects. In relation to the UNDP Country Office, SGP complements UNDP national policy support programmes with the community initiatives that support advocacy and campaigns to feed into national policy development processes.

“Based on the global practice of GEF-SGP, the operational structure involves the set up of an NSC and the National Coordinator who works with the support and within the framework of each UNDP Country Office.”

While the GEF-SGP started in 1992, Nigeria was admitted into the programme in 2006. Three years later, a National Coordinator was engaged to manage the programme.

The National Coordinator, Mrs Ibironke Olabamise, described the GEF-SGP as the third component of the GEF which provides grants to poor and marginalised communities through national non-govenmental organisations and community-based organisations (NGOs/CBOs) to implement local environmental initiatives that also enhance their livelihood while achieving global environmental benefits.

Members of the new NSC of the UNDP/GEF SGP, with Pa Lamin Beyai, Kushimo David and Ronke Olabamise after the swearing in ceremony
Members of the new NSC of the UNDP/GEF SGP, with Pa Lamin Beyai, Kushimo David and Ronke Olabamise after the swearing in ceremony

She said: “The NSC, chaired by the UNDP Resident Representative, is the highest national organ of the SGP operational structure. It provides strategic direction as well as professional support to the programme in accordance with the Country Programme Strategy an in line with the global best practices of the GEF-SGP.

“The members of the NSC are composed of institutional representatives of some of the GEF implementing partners and also individuals who have distinguished themselves in their areas of expertise and have been seen to be contributing to national development and who are willing to deploy their expertise and experience for the achievement of national and global goals of the GEF-SGP.”

Director and GEF Operational Focal Point (OFP) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Amos Tanko Ibrahim, said the office is impressed with NGOs/CBOs relationship with the ministry and GEF-SGP, which he referred to as “GEF’s heart and our ministry’s heart too as environmental benefits are watered down through to our poor and marginalised communities.”

Ibrahim, who was represented by Kusimo David of the Department of Planning, Research & Statistics, GEF Desk Office, added: “Our national priorities and environmental agenda have been aligned with the visions of GEF around its thematic operational areas meant to enhance livelihood.

“We appreciate your efforts and wish to state our commitment to continue to support your programmes and activities in order to achieve the envisioned sustainable environment in tandem with the ideals of sustainable development. Our vision is Small Grants Programme with investment opportunities embedded to ensure job creation and the empowerment of our people at all levels of development in line with the present government’s economic diversification.”

Members of the new NSC include: Betty Abah, Yinka Agidee, Esther Agbarakwe, Amos Abu, Elizabeth Olofin, Huzi Mshelia, Angela Odah, Festus Eguaoje, Prof. Olukayode Oladipo, Michael Simire, Aisha Bello Mustapha and Odigha Odigha.

Established in 1992, the year of the Rio Summit, the GEF-SGP is the third component of GEF, which is the financial mechanism that provides funds for countries to address global environmental issues and also the largest funder of environmental projects. The GEF-SGP is said to embody the very essence of sustainable development by “thinking globally, acting locally”. By providing financial and technical support to projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people’s well-being and livelihoods, SGP demonstrates that community action can maintain the balance between human needs and environmental imperatives.

According to Beyai, the SGP recognises that environmental degradation such as the destruction of ecosystems and the species that depend upon them, increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, pollution of international waters, land degradation and the spread of persistent organic pollutants are life-threatening challenges that endanger humanity.

“However, poor and vulnerable communities – SGP’s primary stakeholders – are most at risk because they depend on access to natural resources for their livelihoods and often live in fragile ecosystems,” he stated, adding:

“The programme supports activities of NGOs and CBOs in developing countries by providing grants of up to $50,000 directly to local communities including indigenous people, CBOs and other non-governmental groups for projects in Biodiversity, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Land Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management, International Waters and Chemicals.

“At present, 130 countries participate in SGP having ratified the Conventions on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Climate Change (UNFCCC). There are 84 country offices, two regional offices, and two sub-regional offices with day-to-day management by SGP National Coordinators.

“The current overall SGP project portfolio comprises 60% biodiversity, 20% climate change, 6% international waters, and 14% multi-focus. To date, the GEF-SGP has invested $450 million and leveraged similar levels of co-financing supporting over 14,500 community-based projects in over 125 countries. The maximum grant amount per project is $50,000, but averages around $20,000. Grants are channeled directly to CBOs and NGOs.”

Congo Basin Forest Partners push to harmonise development, conservation

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Congo Basin Forest Partners push to harmonise development, conservation

It is time to face the fact that the Congo Basin forests will increasingly be threatened as development needs of member countries surges if urgent measures are not put in place to harmonise development challenges and conservation, experts have warned.

The Congo Basin Forest
The Congo Basin Forest

The Congo Basin forest, which holds more than 25 billion tons of carbon and thousands of animal and plant species, is today impacted directly and indirectly by industrialisation, with palm oil plantations taking the lead.

“We need to step out of the conservation box and work with the different stakeholders to balance environmental needs with socioeconomic requirements,” pointed out Jef Dupain, Regional Director, Central and Western Africa at the African Wildlife Foundation.

Speaking at a panel discussion on industrial agriculture and Apes Conservation at the Congo Basin Forest Partnership meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, experts agreed there was a need to guide development actions and encourage best practices for sustainable resource conservation.

“The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations into the habitat of endangered animal species like apes in the Congo Basin forest area has become evident,” said Bas Verhage of WWF citing the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The discussions were held against the backdrop of the publication of the second volume of the book “State of the Apes: Industrial Agriculture and Ape Conservation,” by Arcus Foundation.

The book accordingly examines the interface between ape conservation and industrial agriculture in the Congo Basin and West Africa and notes that Ape habitats like that of other species in sub-Saharan Africa are seriously threatened. It more specifically explores the drivers behind the agricultural expansion and addresses ways to minimise and mitigate its impact on biodiversity.

In Cameroon for example, the Dja forest reserve in the South of the country is seriously under threats from an expanding rubber plantation just like the Ebo forest in the Littoral region is facing challenges from growing palms plantation.

The case of some 142,000-hectare Ebo forest that sits less than 150 kilometers from the capital of Cameroon, Yaounde and even closer to Douala, both cities with populations of over two million, is seriously under threat. Like Korup National Park and the Dja Reserve, Ebo is also home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the rare Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee and the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), a highly endangered baboon-like monkey that, until the 1980s, scientists had written off as extinct.

The conservation actors at the panel discussion called for an integrated cross-sector approach to national management that factor in development and conservation needs through building bridges and linkages between protected areas, spaces designed for production, infrastructure and mining activity.

“There is an urgent need to work towards reconciling the conservation and development visions so as to optimise land use. The concept of protecting of Congo Basin should also include opportunities for development and job creation.  Conservation and development are closely linked rather than conflicting concepts. Thus conservation projects should be tailored and harnessed to provide solutions to development and employment challenges,” says Andreas Athanas, Programme Design Director, AWF, in an interview.

Experts agree transparency must be the watchword in the conservation and forest management industry in coming years to bolster and foster trust among stakeholders.

“There is a need to build a permanent platform for inclusive dialogue between the States, the private sector and other actors to create an enabling environment and ensure transparency,” Athanas said.

Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency

Shell partners with entertainer for bright energy ideas

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Shell partners with entertainer for bright energy ideas

Nigerian entertainer, Yemi Alade, has taken the lead in spreading Shell’s #makethefuture campaign which aims to inspire youths and entrepreneurs for bright energy ideas that can help in the global quest for more and cleaner energy.

Shell #makethefuture ambassador, Yemi Alade (middle), flanked by Shell Kenya Country Chair, Brian Muriuki (right), and GravityLight co-inventor, Jim Reeves, with students of Daraja Academy, Kenya during the Shell #makethefuture 50 Nights Tour, last week
Shell #makethefuture ambassador, Yemi Alade (middle), flanked by Shell Kenya Country Chair, Brian Muriuki (right), and GravityLight co-inventor, Jim Reeves, with students of Daraja Academy, Kenya during the Shell #makethefuture 50 Nights Tour, last week

The multiple award nominee and winner of the 2015 MTV African Music Award for Best Female Artist joined Shell-organised 50 Night tour of Kenya last week to celebrate the benefits and installation of GravityLight in some Kenya communities after she united with Oscar-winner, Jennifer Hudson, and four other music stars in Rio, Brazil on Best Day of My Life music video for #makethefuture.

GravityLight, one of seven energy ideas celebrated in Rio, Brazil in October by Shell, offers a clean, safe, affordable and reliable alternative to other fuel sources including kerosene lamps, which are used in homes by millions of families in Africa, including Nigeria. The low-carbon innovation does not need batteries or sunlight and costs nothing to run. It works by connecting an elevated bag filled with 12kg of rocks or sand to a pulley system. Each time the weight descends to the ground it powers a generator to create 20 minutes of light.

“The event in Kenya brings closer home how innovations and collaborations can help bridge the energy divide in the face of a rapidly growing global population,” said the Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor. He added, “By continuing the conversation on providing a wider, more sustainable mix of energy resources for the world’s growing population, Shell is provoking thoughts on tomorrow’s solution, and supporting young entrepreneurs through our 13-year-old LiveWIRE programme.”

Speaking on the relevance of her music to Shell bright energy ideas campaign, Yemi Alade said her music offered a good platform to draw attention to the energy needs of the world with strong appeal to engaged millennials who form the bulk of her fans. “Music offers a good platform and this is particularly true in Nigeria where we are working hard to provide the energy the nation badly needs to develop. In my music, I try to encourage people to look at the innovative side of life and this is what the ‘makethefuture seeks to achieve in the energy space. I’m pleased to be part of the energy train,” she said.

“GravityLight is really close to my heart as it’s an invention that solves a problem I know only too well. For many years as a girl, I had to use candles and kerosene lamps for hours while studying at night. Now with GravityLight, people have a safer way to study and families can have quality time in evenings. Being part of #makethefuture has been amazing – I’ve seen how it changed lives in Rio, and it’s moving to see it do that again in my home continent,” she added.

Other bright energy innovations being supported by Shell are:

  • Bio-bean – which explores how to reduce the UK’s CO2 emissions from transport by turning coffee dregs into a sustainable transport fuel,
  • Capture Mobility – demonstrates how roadside turbulence from cars and trucks can generate clean power for local communities,
  • MotionECO – uses waste cooking oil to help to create a market for renewable diesel in China (in transport, public services and logistics) and discourage the harmful reuse of cooking oil,
  • Pavegen – converts power from footsteps into renewable energy that can power a community, and
  • Shell Eco-marathon – a global competition that sees students design ultra-efficient cars, and challenges them to see which can travel furthest on one litre of fuel.

Why nation should shift from mono to diversified economy

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Why nation should shift from mono to diversified economy

Thomas Kuhn was the first scientist to use the term paradigm shift in his influential book titled, “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” in 1962. He opined that “a successive transition from one paradigm to another via revolution is the usual development of mature science.” Kuhn maintained that, as paradigm shifts via revolution, multiple prosperity and some anomalies come with it. It is clearly evident that the continuous drop in oil price by more than 40% since June 2014 when it was $115 a barrel, which now is below $70, after five years of stability is deterring Nigeria government from coping with spending commitment and thereby increasing government borrowing both home and abroad.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun

Though crude oil has contributed immensely to Nigeria’s revenue since its discovery at Oloibiri in 1956, research has shown that, for a nation to attain the pinnacle of her success, its economy has to be diversified. Diversification does not come in a vacuum; sustainable development of other sectors of the economy cannot be achieved if we continue to romance the current mono product economy. As we all know that diversification will birth solid economic growth and this in turn will bring about a lot of prosperities for the nation; we should also not forget the fact that every paradigm shift comes with its own anomalies. That is the reason why this essay seeks to explicitly analyse the successes and challenges that come with diversification.

Foremost, it is germane to state clearly that one of the goods that come with diversification is improved human resource management. Due to the inability of the oil sector to employ a large number of our talented graduates, they tend to find succor in seeking greener pasture in advanced countries of the world at the detriment of our nation’s development. The development of other sectors of the economy will give room for efficient human resource management and this will also help identify and trap best brains that will catapult the nation to the brim of her success.

Unemployment will be a thing of the past if we can shift paradigm from a mono economy to a diversified one. The oil sector could only employ limited number of the population and worst still, only experts, leaving the rest to wander in disarray. History has shown that the agrarian economy of the 1960s employed 70% of the Nigerian population. So, there is no doubt in our mind that unemployment in Nigeria will be reduced significantly if the economy is diversified. Also, crime in its various forms such as kidnapping, robbery, scamming, and forgery will be reduced to nadir as these sectors will meaningfully engage the teaming population.

Furthermore, economic growth and development will be achieved. Economic growth according to Wikipedia, brings about increase in a country’s real level of national output which can be caused by an increase in the quality and quantity of resources and improvement in technology, that is, the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to population. Economic growth usually gives way for economic development, which in turn helps to ensure maximum quality of life through availability of social and infrastructural facilities such as pipe-borne water, uninterrupted power supply, improved healthcare delivery, and good road network among others.

There will be an increase in foreign exchange earnings through exportation of commodities that outsourced importation. The development of other sectors will strengthen our local markets and thereby helping our currency to appreciate over others. Most of the products consumed in the country will be locally made and this will help put a stop to excess importation of finished product. There is, however, a need to encourage Nigerians to patronize made in Nigeria products so as to grow Nigeria. Naira will only appreciate if local production and consumption are greatly encouraged.

In continuation, paradigm shift from a mono economy to a diversified economy will bring about an effective and efficient use of resources. Most of the raw materials needed by manufacturing industries to better the lives of the people are available in abundant in Nigeria. Tapping from these abounding resources will not only bring about increase in the country’s income per head, that is, per capita income but will help put a stop to unending importation of goods and services that has crippled our development as a nation. Extractive industries no doubt will have enough raw materials to tap from.

The diversification of other sectors will help boost foreign investment thereby motivating foreign investors to invest their capital heavily in domestic companies or other domestic assets. However, local industries will have access to necessary resources needed both in cash and kind to increase production and at the same time produce quality goods and services.

More so, we should not forget the fact that Kuhn maintained that there are anomalies for all paradigm, which the Nigerian economic revolution (diversification) may not be an exception. Some of the challenges that may come with diversification of the Nigerian economy include; challenge of inclusion, corruption, sustainability, environmental quality, educational training and management system among others.

A challenge of inclusion, however, is an international concept addressing how we can involve the grassroots in developmental plans without making them poorer. Thus, if diversification is not well managed, the only people that would largely benefits from it would be the upper and middle class. One of the reasons why policies failed in the past are because we use the top-bottom approach instead of bottom-up approach to solve problems rather than consulting them to know what they truly want. The fear now is that such act may continue.

In addition, corruption is the bane of every society. The reason why the mono product economy failed to be the answer to solving the puzzle facing us as a nation is because corruption has eaten deep into the fabrics of this nation and if we fail to kill corruption, corruption will one day kill us and render the diversification of the economy useless. If this problem is not addressed, some cabals will still be looting the country’s treasury which may in turn affect the success of the economic revolution.

It is certain that environmental quality will be threatened. Extractive industries have high capacity of degrading the environment. Environmental degradation ranging from oil spillage, indiscriminate felling of trees, air and water pollution will be on the rise and this will be deleterious to the environment, aquatic and man’s health.

As if that is not enough, it is worrisome that the system of education cages graduates without giving them the opportunity of thinking outside the box. We might need to start outsourcing experts from outside the country to establish and manage these sectors, increasing the competition for job amongst our youth. Sustainability is also an important factor that must be looked into. How do we sustain the projects such that we don’t leave diversification again to concentrate on a particular field? How do we ensure that the sectors selected would be sustainably managed such that it lasts generations? These are issues that must be well addressed if we are to get it right.

We should not forget that management system borders most of the challenges. We have not proven a good track record of management in Nigeria. How do we make sure the systems to be created are not just running but have limited negative trends on the people and the country at large?

In conclusion, it is apparent that the exploration and exploitation of crude oil resources brings more anomalies to us than blessing. As such, diversification from such sector via revolution to other sectors of the economy to achieve more economic prosperity must be ascertained. Even if some challenges that can easily be dealt with will be experienced as stated by Kuhn, we must not underestimate the unending prosperities that come with it. That is why Professor Wole Soyinka submits that “I am convinced that Nigeria would have been a more highly developed country without the oil. I wished we’d never smelled the fumes of petroleum.” God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

By Alabede Surajdeen (environmentalist and political commentator; alabedekayode@gmail.com; @BabsSuraj)

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