BY DOYIN ADEOYE
The international community is geared up to celebrate wildlife tomorrow, as well as channel a way forward, especially in the area of eradicating wildlife crimes.
With the theme: ‘The Future of Wildlife is in Our Hands” and African and Asian elephants being the main focus of the 2016 global campaigns, the World Wildlife Day (WWD) is an annual event marked every 3 March, and aimed at celebrating and raising awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.
Speaking with Ecoscope, the Director, University of Ibadan (UI) Zoological Garden, Dr Olajumoke Morenikeji, noted that Nigeria has a very rich wildlife resource, but unfortunately we are not wildlife conscious.
“It is unfortunate that the country is not really interested in boosting the wildlife sector, wildlife management, wildlife consciousness and wildlife tourism. These are areas where we have not fully developed as a country and it is something we should look into.
“There are lots of animals that are indigenous to Nigeria; they will not be found in any other place in the planet. If we can build tourism around our indigenous animals, we will make a lot of money,” she said.
The WWD was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2013 and the theme of this year’s edition is a call to people around the world to play their roles in protecting the wild animals and plants who share the planet with us.
Illegal international trade of ivory and poaching has remained a major threat to African elephants. As at 1979, the population of African elephant was estimated to be around 1.3 million in 37 range states, but by 1989 only 600,000 remained. Around 100,000 African elephants are estimated to be slaughtered in three years to feed the demand for ivory.
In his message for the 2016 WWD, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said that global efforts to protect wildlife are gathering force.
“Last year, United Nations Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include specific targets to end poaching. The General Assembly also unanimously agreed a resolution to limit illicit trafficking in wildlife. These powerful expressions of political determination to end these highly destructive crimes are now being translated into actions on the ground through collective efforts by countries around the world.
“Time is running out to end the poaching crisis that threatens some of the world’s most iconic species. To combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, it is essential to address both the demand and supply of illegal wildlife products through agreed goals and targets and international instruments, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” he said.
Secretary-General, CITES, John E. Scanlon also noted that the current wildlife crisis is not a natural phenomenon unlike a drought, a flood or a cyclone.
“It is the direct result of people’s actions. People are the cause of this serious threat to wildlife and people must be the solution, which also requires us to tackle human greed, ignorance and indifference. Wildlife loss threatens our own personal well being, the livelihoods of local communities and in some cases, even national economies and security. And today we are seeing a global collective effort to end wildlife.”
African footballer and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador, Yaya Toure, also noted that this year’s theme reminds us of the power and privilege we have as humans to care for the special and unique wildlife that inhabits our planet.
“Over the last couple of years, the devastating consequences of poaching on our elephants, rhinos and many other species have been communicated to the world. And we have made progress with getting people to pay attention, but the poaching is still happening and is still threatening to wipe out some populations. This is just not acceptable. The outcome is in our hands and I ask everyone to stand up and move towards action,” he said.
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