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Minister calls for transformation of food system

Minister of Environment, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar, has called for the transformation of the food system to aid rejuvenation of soils and forest covers. Speaking at the 14th National Council of Environment virtually held with the theme: “Managing Emerging Environmental Challenges: Need for Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development in Covid-19 Era and Beyond,” the Minister said: “There is urgent need to transform our food system which has been the major factor in the issue of loss of biodiversity, fresh water and deforestation with its attendant effects on climate change. It is therefore, expected that pertinent issues of climate smart agriculture and agro ecological practices that will aid rejuvenation of soils and forest covers, among others,are discussed during this meeting.” He noted th...

World Forest Day: Nigeria’s forests reduced to less than 25% – environmentalists

Some environmentalists on Monday said that unwholesome human activities had reduced the nation’s forest resources to less than 25 per cent. The environment experts made the assertion during an event in Lagos State to commemorate the 2021 World Forest Day, held every March 21, to raise public consciousness on conservation of forests. Newsmen report that the theme of the 2021 edition is “Forest Recovery, a Path and Wellbeing’’. The environmentalists, who envisaged danger as a result of depletion of forests, advised Nigerians to always replenish nature, whenever their activities caused violation of nature. At the event, Executive Director, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development, Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, said “with reduced forestry resources the human habitat is under...

UNILAG VC wins €38,000 global biodiversity information facility grant

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, and another botanist, Dr Temitope Onuminya, have won 2021 Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) grants. Mrs Nonye Oguama, a Principal Assistant Registrar, Corporate Affairs of the institution, made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday in Lagos. According to Oguama, the awards are part of the 2021 Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme, funded by the European Union. Ogundipe, a Professor of Botany, won a national level grant of 38,000 euros for his project proposal: “Implementation of the Biodiversity Information and Data System for Coastal Ecosystem in Nigeria”. Onuminya, on the other hand, won an institutional level grant of 18,850 euros for implementation of a BID project proposal: “Ex...

African environment ministers support green recovery plan

Ministers of Environment from Africa on Friday agreed to support a comprehensive green recovery plan to boost economies and social systems aimed at building back better from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This is contained in a ministerial statement issued at the end of the eighth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi, Kenya. Representatives of the 54 African governments re-affirmed their commitment to enhance environmental resilience as well as protect and sustainably use natural resources for the region’s development. The high-level ministerial regional conference held virtually under the theme “Enhancing Environmental Action for Effective Post-COVID Recovery in Africa”, further called to accelerate the protection and restoratio...