Dr. Ibrahim Goni, Conservator-General, National Park Service, has called on the public to stop bushmeat consumption to help improve the country’s wildlife population and eliminate the threat of extinction.

Goni made the call during the World Wildlife Day Celebration held at the Park headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, which was hosted by the Federal Department of Forestry, Wildlife Division.

He said that the public should consume other sources of animal protein such as animal husbandry, fishery, rabbits, etc.

“If we stop bushmeat consumption, it will help improve the nation’s wildlife and possibly eliminate the threat of extinction currently posed on the endangered wildlife species in our natural ecosystems.

“If you have the need to go for wild animal meat, you can establish rabbitry, fishery and game ranching to have your own wild animals behind your backyard, so anytime you need it you can always go there and harvest it.”

Goni said the service had been engaging with various stakeholders through different fora to continue to create awareness on the dangers of illegal bushmeat hunting and uncontrolled logging and cutting down of the natural vegetation.

He said, more importantly, the service had embarked on aggressive conservation education in schools and colleges with a view to catching them young.

Goni urged governments at all levels to consider environmental-friendly policies capable of reducing environmental degradation, encourage sustainable utilization and conservation of wild fauna and flora heritage for inter-generational equity and perpetuation of life on earth.

“Our focus today should be on adopting sustainable ways of ensuring conservation of our wildlife species such that access of the present generation to our natural heritage of wildlife resources does not jeopardize the access of our future generation to the same.

“This aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 14 and 15 and their wide-ranging commitments on alleviating poverty, ensuring the use of natural resources and conserving life both on land and in water to halt biodiversity loss for our general wellbeing,” he said.

Mr. Tiamiyu Oladele, the Acting Director, Federal Department of Forestry, who spoke on the sidelines of the program, said efforts were being made by the department to address the issue of deforestation.

According to him, about N300 million will be spent on afforestation this year for which the budget for 2020 has been approved by the board.

Oladele said a meeting was recently held by the National Forestry Development Committee which comprises all state directors of forestry and heads of forestry institutions in Nigeria to brainstorm on ways to reduce deforestation.

“We are looking at increasing forest guards in all the states which are lacking, so they can manage the forest.

“In Kwara for instance, we used to have like 200 guards but now we have just 20.

“We want the youths to be engaged and trained and used for surveillance which will help us reduce security risk in the country,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria  reports that the World Wildlife Day is celebrated every March 3 and the theme for the 2020 celebration is “Sustaining all Life on Earth”

NAN