A piece of the Lecture delivered virtual on the 3rd of March by Environmentalist Abdgofar Saheed on the social media platform of ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION CLUB to commemorate the year 2022 World Wildlife day with the theme
Recovery of Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration
Preamble
The speaker stressed the significance of the day as conceived by the United Nation General Assembly basically to safeguard the increasing wildlife resources that are seriously being threatening globally.
Jokingly, the audience were asked to guess the species that is presently being threatening.
Funny enough, the speaker used the occasion to call for prayer for peace to reign across the World and war threatening land of Ukraine.
Background
The lecture fully commenced with the questions thrown to the audience purposely to catch thier attentions.
Firstly, What brings about World Wildlife Day?
Secondly, Who are the agencies in charge of the celebration?
Thirdly, what is the goal of marking the day?
In response to these questions, it was opined that United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)at its 68th session on the 20th December 2013, proclaimed 3rd March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
It was reiterated that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora is the sole body in charge of conserving Wildlife.
Through this medium, people are encourage to give additional respect, and appreciate the immeasurable values of wildlife species of flora and fuana resources.
This becomes very important by doing so, since this makes the celebration complete.
According to the scientists as obtained from piece of literature,
among the flora and fuana species, it was stated that 8,400 are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 are stated to be endangered or vulnerable and over a million are threatened with extinction.
Aftermath effects of this could be disheartening if we fail to work for nature conservation.
Man should be mindful of the fact that nature is going to work for Itself in an attempt to maintain a balance.
However, nature will restore faster and better if we take proactive actions as humans.
This action is considered as giving back to Nature that keep working for our existence day and night.
Therefore, we should not fold our hands but keep assisting nature to recover from the brink of extinction.
*How does world Wildlife day tally with Sustainable Development Goals*
The speaker pulse to ask the audience to mention three of SDGs that are relevant to the theme of the year 2022 WWD.
Goal 1 : No poverty
The wildlife flora and fuana resources are in better position to address poverty in term of generating excess money for humans.
Some species of wildlife are very important to humans but are very scarce. Thus, they attract millions of dollars in international market.
Seeds of some wild plants and some parts of wildlife animals are traded in millions of dollars because the pharmaceutical industries knows thier worth in manufacturing and production of drugs.
Some spieces of plants are equally precious and very important that if we fold our hands and let the urban development to blind fold us, we won’t know when we will loose them.
Goal 2: Zero hunger
When there is no poverty we are less concern with hunger. In other words, poverty thrives when people are hungry.
There is need to make judicious use of wildlife resources that are not being threatening to meet our nutritional needs.
We can try to cultivate and domesticate some of them without necessarily going to the wild to collect for food all the time.
Goal12:
Ensuring sustainable consumption and production pattern.
If wildlife species are not conserve, I wonder how we will be able to have a sustainable development in the area of food security .
There are several non timber products that we haverest in the forest indiscriminately but can be sustained if we practice smart agriculture. Agroforestry could be regarded as a form of smart agriculture that encourage planting of crops without cutting/ clearing trees while farming.
Another form of smart agriculture is the removal of trees with canopy so that crops interplanted can have little bit of sunlight while the remaining trees with canopy can provide needed shade for crops planted from sun intensity.
At the same time, decayed leaves and stems from the carefully felled trees can serve as sources of manure to the crops.
Restoration of the ecosystem invariably is beneficial to the wildlife since it will provide enabling habitat for them. The urine and dropping from wildlife will also add manure to the forest ecosystem.
Goal 13 : Climate action
The more trees we have the lesser CO2 in the atmosphere. Trees trap carbon and at the same time release Oxygen into the atmosphere.
As we are caring for trees in the forest we should also be conscious of wildlife resources in other ecosystem like wetlands that provide habitat for them.
We must make sure we don’t lose them, including our wetlands.
We are enjoyed to work towards conservation of wetlands in our immediate communities.
Goal 14 and 15 : Life below water and life on land
It is our collective responsibilities to take note and document species of plants and animals that are going into extinction and those that are being threatened within our environment.
This will put us in a better position to intercede for them if they are caught. We should position ourselves as wildlife advocate and passionate to Intecede for them. This is what the celebration of World Wildlife Dayay calls for.
Basically to arouse our instincts to care for wildlife resources in our bids to safeguard the nature. We should engage in actions such as putting water outside for birds to drink, donating for wildlife conservation e.t.c.
A man feeding birds
As we are creating and generating awareness on this occasion, we should join forces with global movements towards sustainable conservation of wildlife resources.
On the final note, take actions towards the preservation and protection of wildlife and restoration of their habitats and ecosystem.
Thank you .