Nine out of 15 ECOWAS countries have signed a new high-seas treaty, with Nigeria coordinating efforts to designate protected marine areas.
The minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako disclosed this at the high-level segment of the sixteenth meeting of the conference of parties to the convention on biological diversity held in Cali, Colombia.
He added that Nigeria is leading efforts with ECOWAS nations to implement the “30 by 30” initiative, aiming to protect 30 percent of the region by 2030 from biodiversity loss.
The 30×30 is an ambitious plan, arose out of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, to conserve 30 percent of the world’s lands and waters by 2030 in order to protect biodiversity and the climate.
The minister also disclosed that Nigeria is nearing completion of an updated National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (NBSAP) to preserve and recover natural resources.
“We are also strengthening our national capacity to protect nature through other policies, action plans and legislative framework,” he explained.
He noted that Nigeria is uniting with other countries to combat illegal wildlife exploitation and deforestation.
“We are seeking to work with leaders around the world on the development of mechanisms to advance equitable accountability for truly global action on halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.
“We need true partnership between Global North and Global South to meet these goals. We are doing everything we can because we are clearly running out of time. Our ecosystems are being drained of their ability to support us, and we can not be passive spectators as the crisis unfolds in front of us.
“This is why I am concerned that our efforts continue to be compromised by significant delays in the allocation of financial resources,” he said
Salako reaffirmed the President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to honoring multilateral environmental agreements without compromising sovereignty.
“We make an urgent plea. We ask that we listen to each other. We ask that we trust each other. We must act now, and we must be bold if we have any hope of preserving our planet, our people, and our future,” he said.