By Furera Mohammed
A youth-based Non-Governmental Organisation, SustyVibes, has engaged 50 youths and experts in a dialogue on climate change and biodiversity.
At a One Day Bioverse Regional Dialogue on Friday in Ilorin, the experts said the youth had a big role to play in creating awareness on climate change and biodiversity leveraging on technology.
In his lecture titled ”Biodiversity and Climate Change in Northern Nigeria” Dr Tajudeen Amusa of the Department of Forest Resources management, said there was the need to embrace sustainable living.
”We need to embrace sustainable living which includes embracing renewable energy, using resources in ways that you don’t put them to waste.
”We should only take from nature what we need, the youths have a lot to do in terms of leveraging on the contemporary technology.’
”As we are in a digital age, youths can do a lot with technology in terms of content development to bring to the fore bare, the problems we are facing and the attendant solutions that we have alighted here,” Dr Amusa said.
He added that policies and legislation was needed to be able to place authority on the actions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
”Government have the power to control what is done to habitats and biodiversity within their country.
”Legislations that protect natural habitats by outlawing haphazard developments and indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on maintaining natural biodiversity.
”Additionally, laws protecting specific sites and species such as Endangered Species Act helps protects animals that have already been impacted.
”Protecting habitats that have been altered is the best form of biodiversity conservation and is most successfully implemented by government regulations.
”Also, tree planting and habitat restoration and adopting renewable energy as well as sustainable living are ways of mitigation.
”The future of biodiversity will depend on the global collective action of an educated society including efforts to primote local and indigenous knowledge of biodiversity.
”Conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change require an inclusive approach that speaks to and involve everyone,” Dr Amusa said.
One of the panelists, Dr Joy Adefemi said it was important to catch them young in terms of awareness and enlightenment.
”We need to start engaging the youths by catching them young. We should start visiting the schools to let them know what climate change is about.
”We also need to educate people in our communities about refuse disposal and also people in the fish farms and other livestock farms on how best to do things.
”There should be enforcement of the policies on ground so that people will be punished for erring,” she said.
Another panelist, Alhaji Bashir Owolabi an aquapreneur and researcher said much work needs to be done on checkmating the industries as they discharge wastes into water bodies which also contribute to climate change.
”Kwara is the largest producer of catfish in Nigeria and Asa river serves as our major source of water for fishing.
”Some of the industries we have along the bank of the river are discharging their wastes into the water bodies, in that case some of the water bodies need to be treated before being discharged.
”This is because it affects things like breeding ground which is the nursery pond for some of the fishes and in that return, it will make some of the fishes to migrate from that area.
”We are advocating that if you want to discharge into the water body, proper treatment should be done,” Alhaji Owolabi said.
The Kwara Commissioner for Environment, Shehu Ndanusa, said climate change was a global issue “but we need to create more awareness on it and involve many stakeholders because it affects us, especially the agriculture sector.”
”We have to sensitise the younger ones on it because they will be in charge after we are gone and posterity will judge us if we don’t do the right thing.
”Biodiversity is the variation of plants and animal and each of them have it’s own importance whereby a slight extinction of one or two of these will have negative impacts on the environment and we the inhabitants.
”The younger ones do not have so much ideas about climate change and biodiversity, we have to catch them young to make them aware of the causes, impacts and how to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Ndanusa said.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Head,Climate Change Unit, Mr Umar Yusuf, said the ministry was already conducting pilot test of climate change clubs in some selected secondary schools.
”So, we have started by creating climate change clubs in five schools each in four local governments Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Ilorin West and Asa, as a pilot test.
”With the formation of these clubs, we will be able to inculcate the knowledge into them at a very young age.
”We also went to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp to create a Community Development Service (CDS) group on climate change so that corps members can become ambassadors of climate change,” he said.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, said more awareness should be created on climate change and its effects so that people will stop engaging in activities that contribute to climate change.
Dr El-Imam, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Health, Dr. Kasali Ajao, pledged the ministry’s support for all efforts and conversations to mitigate the effects of climate change and biodiversity.
SustyVibes Community Manager, Olaide Olawuwo, said the Bioverse NG Project is a Sustainable project, funded by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
According to Olawuwo,the project is aimed at connecting young Nigerians to nature via a double-pronged approach to climate action and biodiversity protection.
”Through this project, we are increasing the knowledge of young Nigerians on Climate and Biodiversity linkages as well as initiating dialogues on environmental governance and stewardship through knowledge sharing, participation and inclusion.
”The Bioverse NG Regional Dialogue is a series of six physical dialogues across the six geographical areas in Nigeria.
”The dialogue aims to bring together key stakeholders in the climate and biodiversity sector in Nigeria to discuss policy issues and promote youth action and advocacy.
”It will provide a platform for Nigerian youths and media influencers to engage with decision-makers, share their perspectives, and advocate for policies that protect and preserve the country’s biodiversity,” Olawuwo said.
One of the participants, Mr Akintola Akinyemi said the ecosystem is the home of biodiversity and human beings are part of biodiversity, so one shouldn’t stop the other.
He said the dialogue afforded him the opportunity to hear diversed views of how biodiversity can be conserved for the good of all.
