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Environment & Wildlife
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
NCF reports resurgence of Chimpanzees in Nigeria’s forest SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE
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igerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, as well as other conservationists in the country said they have discovered images of Chimpanzees in Omo-Shasha-Oluwa, OSO, forest traversing Ogun and Ondo states. According to NCF, the cameratrap photos are the first firm evidence of chimpanzees in South West Nigeria for over a decade, saying the discovery has been greeted with a lot of enthusiasm by conservationists. The finding, according to a statement from the Foundation, has been described as a surprise
by experts on the project. Commenting on the issue at the Foundation’s headquarters in Lagos over the weekend, the Director General of NCF, Mr. Adeniyi Karunwi, said that the deployment of camera traps and the positive results coming out are signs of NCF’s commitment to conserving the nation’s forest habitats with particular attention on the OSO Forest. “This is part of NCF’s efforts to ensure the survival of species in the OSO Forest Reserve,” he declared. This is as Dr. Andrew Bowkett from the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which also funds conservation work as a partner in
the OSO Forest Initiative, said it was tremendous news. “It seemed likely that this population had gone extinct due to the dramatic increases in logging and hunting over the years. It has come as something of a surprise, as all previous reports indicated that the closest chimps were in a hilly area in a remote corner of the reserve far from where the camera-trap was set up”, Bowkett added. He said further that the survival of chimpanzees and other large mammals in such a threatened forest so close to Lagos, considering the level of urbanization and deforestation, “gives us hope for the Initiative.”
Town Planners task govt on Environmental Laws’ enforcement WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA
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he National Assistant Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Institute of Town Planners, Mr.Dan Sani, has called on government at all levels to enforce environmental planning laws to enhance the health and well-being of citizens. Sanni who made the call at a press conference to mark the 2016 World Planners Day themed: “Planning around the World You Live” in Lokoja said it was not enough to have laws that are not kept or enforced. “We are appealing to governments to make the laws operational to ensure that our cities,
towns and villages are well planned because the health and lifespan of a people is determined by their particular environment. “There is interplay between us and the environment we live. Even our lifespan is tied to the environment we live. So, how our environment is planned is the engine that determines the functionality of our body organs. “A well-planned environment that is pollution free, traffic free, congestion free and stress free tend to guarantee long life and there is need for government to ensure compliance with laws that gurantee these’’, he added. Sani explained that while mistakes of other professions are
forgotten and pass away with time, every mistake made in planning the environment lives with the people and usually have adverse effects on our existence”, he said. Also speaking, Mr. Dan Alonge, state chairman of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners urge Nigerians to allow professional planners to plan their environment saying that often times people resist planners when they want to do their job. Alonge urged government to exhibit the political will to allow planners plan the environment and also called on planners to take the profession to higher heights by upholding the professional ethics.
Stakeholders laud Powergas over clean environment policies SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE
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owergas has been commended over its commitment towards cleaner and safe environment in its operations. Some stakeholders, who lauded the gas firm, said this may not be unconnected with
Environmental degradation
its recent recognition as the “Best Compressed & Liquefied Natural Gas Production Company” of the Year by the Institute for Government Research Leadership Technology, IGRLT. Plagued with environmentally-polluting diesel standby power generation as well as other issues, the company has
clean and competitive ‘virtual pipeline offering, providing natural gas to clients, who are not connected to the pipeline. Priding itself as Africa’s largest Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, producer and distributor, it received such a prestigious award, following an intensive selection process. The award was bestowed to an internationally recognized organization over its performance driven, innovative and contributes positively to the economic growth and prosperity of the country.. Chairman of the Clean Energy Group and Chief Executive Officer of Powergas, Deepak Khilnani, said that the company had “an exciting phase of growth over the next two years with plans to produce enough CNG and LNG to generate 500 MW of electricity at power plants across Nigeria where the pipeline does not reach.”
Chimpanzees
NCF, which employed most of the team members, is on the steering committee for the project with the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which runs Paignton Zoo. The Initiative was set up in response to the massive deforestation that has occurred in this region and the threats to the remaining wildlife through habitat loss and hunting. The cameratraps were set by the OSO Forest Initiative’s field team as part of their biodiversity monitoring programme. Conservationists have not seen chimps in the area since the early 2000s. There are very few populations of chimpanzees in
South West Nigeria. Although they are considered part of the Cameroon-Nigerian subspecies more commonly found near the border between those countries, little is known about them genetically. This is the rarest subspecies of chimp, with an estimated 3,500 - 9,000 left in the wild, but only about 100 in the South West. The OSO Forest Initiative is a partnership between the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust and Forest Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) with the support of the Leventis Foundation and Environmental Resource Management, UK.
FCF plans rural sanitation with Conservation Fund SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE
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espite it being an obligation to an organization or individual to act for the benefit of society, social responsibility rarely practiced by the majority, has remained a core factor to Friedkin Conservation Fund (FCF) towards the conservation of the country’s natural resources. Coupled with anti-poaching efforts, FCF proactively assists Tanzanian Wildlife Division by providing anti-poaching teams that consist of highly motivated and professionally trained rangers. The Fund operates in Moyowosi, Makere and Uvinza protected areas in northwestern Tanzania, Ugalla Game Reserve, Maswa Game Reserve, Lake Natron Game Reserve, Mwiba Wildlife Reserve. “Since it is imperative that community development programmes are coordinated with anti-poaching efforts, the FCF also addresses issues of poverty and human pressure on natural resources at a community level,” says the Fund’s Director General Mr Patric Patel. A report on the fund’s (FCF) Community Development 20132015 indicates that the conservation fund has since put up several community development projects towards containing poverty that remains a threat in most remote
areas of the country. A total amount of 2.04b/- has been spent on Community Development Projects by FCF from 2013 to 2015. The conservation fund offers education support to children to obtain good education, enabling the future generation of Tanzania to better lives. The fund also offers village members to start up projects income generating projects that provide them with sustainable income, becoming self-reliant and sufficient. For many isolated communities, access to vital health services is limited. FCF works to improve healthcare by supporting and addressing the immediate needs of rural medical clinics. “Many Tanzanians from neighboring areas now have shorter distances to travel to receive basic medical treatment,” says Mr. Patel. According to Mr Patel, FCF provides a reliable and safe water source for inhabitants near the wildlife areas. The Projects are being implemented in all the Fund’s working areas (conservation areas). “Many areas are very dry for much of the year and villagers are forced to travel long distances to access fresh water,” he says and adds that FCF’s fully equipped borehole rig allows the drilling of wells at cost in suitable areas and support of generous donors.