<
https://www.elephantprotectioninitiative.org/post/nigeria-takes-action-to-protect-its-surviving-elephants>
"The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Environment, in
partnership with the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation (EPIF) and the
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), launched Nigeria’s first ever National
Elephant Action Plan (NEAP) for 2024-2034. The plan is designed to reverse the
decline of Nigeria's critically endangered elephant population, currently
estimated at just 300–400 individuals and on the brink of extinction.
Nigeria has emerged as a major transit hub for illegal wildlife products,
including nearly a quarter of the world's seized ivory. The West African
country has already lost 99% of its elephants and threats such as poaching for
ivory and habitat destruction still remain. Human-elephant conflict, due to
crop raiding which often leads to retaliatory killings, is now the major
threat to the survival of the elephants in Nigeria. NEAP was designed in
response to these issues and lays out clearly and in detail the measures
Nigeria must take to protect its remaining elephants, from protecting their
habitat to mitigating human-elephant conflicts and cracking down on illicit
trafficking of ivory.
The Federal Ministry of Environment, led by Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal, is
committed to the sustainable management and conservation of Nigeria’s natural
resources. “We are dedicated to working closely with relevant stakeholders to
implement the NEAP, which will guarantee the survival of elephants and their
habitat in Nigeria,” stated Minister Lawal.
Nigeria will celebrate World Elephant Day with the launch of a NEAP in Abuja.
The Chair of the EPI Leadership Council and former Minister of State for
Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, CON, said, “The NEAP for Nigeria has been
thoroughly developed by the EPI working together with WCS, and the Nigerian
government through the Federal Ministry of Environment, because we are
determined to save Nigeria’s remaining elephants. These iconic animals fulfil
not only a vital ecological role, but they are also embedded in our country’s
history and culture. We are determined to save Nigeria’s remaining elephants
and enhance the economic benefits of elephant conservation for our people who
live near and around the elephants.”"
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/living-beings/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
