Dare Babalola
The Nigeria Conservation Foundation has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently sign the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2025 into law, warning that Nigeria’s biodiversity is facing unprecedented threats from deforestation, climate change, pollution, and illegal wildlife exploitation.
The appeal was made in a statement issued on Thursday to commemorate the 2026 World Biodiversity Day, where the foundation urged governments, businesses, communities, and citizens to translate global biodiversity commitments into concrete local actions.
According to the organisation, Nigeria remains one of Africa’s most biodiverse nations, with ecosystems ranging from savannas and montane forests to freshwater swamps, floodplains, and marine habitats supporting nearly 8,000 plant species and more than 22,000 animal species.
Despite this rich ecological heritage, the foundation warned that the country’s natural resources are disappearing rapidly due to environmental degradation and unsustainable practices.
NCF stated that Nigeria has already lost more than 90 per cent of its original forest cover, while habitat fragmentation, oil spills, gas flaring, invasive species, and indiscriminate hunting continue to threaten wildlife and ecosystems across the country.
The Director-General of the foundation, Joseph Onoja, described biodiversity loss as an urgent national challenge affecting food security, public health, water resources, and livelihoods.
He said, “Biodiversity loss is not an abstract global problem. It is happening in our forests, wetlands, and communities, and it affects food security, water, health, and livelihoods.
“World Biodiversity Day 2026 is a reminder that global targets are only achieved when local actors take responsibility. The Kunming–Montreal Framework gives us the roadmap. The NBSAP gives us the plan. What we need now is execution at the local level, where ecosystems are managed and communities live.”
The organisation noted that Nigeria’s revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan aligns with the global Kunming–Montreal Biodiversity Framework and commits the country to halting biodiversity loss by 2030.
It explained that the strategy seeks to protect at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s land, inland waters, coastal, and marine habitats while tackling unsustainable harvesting, pollution, invasive species, and ecosystem degradation.
The foundation added that the plan also prioritises ecosystem restoration, biodiversity-friendly agricultural and forestry practices, scientific research, public awareness, and mobilisation of public and private financing for conservation efforts.
NCF, however, stressed that implementation remains weak due to inadequate funding and limited research output, warning that the opportunity to reverse biodiversity loss may soon close without urgent intervention.
The organisation said it would continue over the next five years to strengthen conservation programmes for endangered species and vulnerable ecosystems in partnership with communities, state governments, academic institutions, and private sector stakeholders.
It also pledged to intensify efforts against illegal wildlife trade and indiscriminate hunting through enforcement, public awareness campaigns, monitoring, and restoration of degraded landscapes.
Calling for immediate presidential assent to the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, the foundation said the legislation would strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework for prosecuting wildlife crimes and regulating illegal trade in endangered species.
NCF further urged governments at all levels to fully implement biodiversity protection policies and enforce existing wildlife laws, while calling on businesses to adopt environmentally sustainable practices and invest in nature-based solutions.
The organisation also appealed to Nigerians to support eco-tourism, promote sustainable consumption, and reject social media content that glorifies wildlife cruelty, illegal hunting, and exploitation of endangered species.
