Innocent Onah, Director, GLOBE Nigeria

Biodiversity and GLOBE Nigeria’s Natural Biodiversity and GLOBE Nigeria’s Natural Capital InitiativeCapital Initiative

Presentation at the FIW Bonn Alumni SeminarPresentation at the FIW Bonn Alumni Seminar September 12-15, 2014 in Bonn, Germany

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Nigeria has experienced a significant decline in natural resources since 1990. During this period, Nigeria destroyed 41% of its forest resources and currently stands as the country with the highest rate of deforestation (FAO Stats 2014).

There is increasing desertification, massive gully erosions, coastal erosions, loss of biodiversity and oil spillage all of which requires the attention of better accounting frameworks for the management of natural capital.

Incidentally, our pool of biological diversity and natural resources including provisional services such as food, medicines, and other useful chemicals do not have the right economic value in Nigeria.

Introduction

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Hence, there is continuous run down of these resources through habitat destruction, fragmentation, and modification for infrastructural and other forms of economic development.

There is no functional environmental statistics on the continued environmental degradation and the challenges associated with better management of biodiversity.

Environmental laws and policies as well as implementation and execution of these laws and policies have been insufficient in addressing biodiversity issues.

Generally, there is an inappropriate and poor presentation of Nigeria's state of biological diversity (loss and gains). For example, unlike flora where there is limited accountability of timber resources, little or no attention is paid to fauna.

Introduction…continued

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Biodiversity Information

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Nigeria is rich in biodiversity. This has however witnessed steady decline from 1961 (a year after independence) to date. Lack of robust biodiversity data.

There is scarcity of literature on biological diversity studies particularly evidence based research for improved decision making capacity of policy makers.

Causes of Biodiversity Loss

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Human activities - land degradation, uncontrolled deforestation, and over exploitation of natural resources (Nigeria's near total dependence on oil poses great long term threat to biodiversity. By implication, perhaps the most impactful environmental problems on Nigeria's natural capital base is the incessant and uncontrolled oil spills in the Niger Delta which now occurs on a frequent basis.

Natural causes - hazardous impacts of weather related diseases, natural disasters such as drought, desertification phenomenon and flooding (Climate change).

Skepticism – For example, Researchers from Monash University, Stellenbosch University and the University of Exeter are currently using meta- analysis (combining results from different studies ,) to look at the past 30 years to determine whether protected areas actually protect biodiversity.

Unlimited powers of State Chief Executives to de-reserve or exploit a biodiversity policy.

National biodiversity policies are usually lost in forest policies and usually lacks legal backing and so cannot be enforced.

Poor Government funding of biodiversity programmes.Proliferation of agencies and duplication of duties resulting in cross-

sectoral policies conflict and lack of sectoral dialogue and coordination.Absence of a reliable and current data on which to base biodiversity

planning and development.Absence of biodiversity laws (this is where GLOBE Nigeria comes into

help)

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Institutional & Policy Causes

FIW Bonn Alumni Seminar Series – Reflecting Biodiversity... Bioversity International, an Italian based global research for

development organization focusing on agricultural biodiversity has recently launched a study on how agricultural biodiversity is consumed, produced, planted and safeguarded.

BION Conference... GLOBE Nigeria’s Natural Capital Initiative... (better late than never)

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Good news/Opportunities

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Launch of the GNCI in Nigeria

On 14th May 2014, a small group of Legislators facilitated an important national conversation on environmental economic accounting.

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The Niger Delta is an area of dense mangrove rainforest with rich biodiversity in the southern

tip of Nigeria.

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A major new independent scientific assessment, carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), shows that pollution from over 50 years of oil operations in the region has penetrated further and deeper than many may have supposed.

Clean-up will not only address a tragic legacy but also represents a major ecological restoration enterprise with potentially multiple positive effects ranging from bringing the various stakeholders together in a single concerted cause to achieving lasting improvements’ IN FOOD & TIMBER SUPPY , UNEP Executive Director, A. Steiner.

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No region of the world that is as much subject to environmental abuses as Nigeria's Niger Delta - OIL SPILLS, OIL FIRES, GAS FLARES

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Two Steps in advancing the GNCI Carry out a diagnosis of extant legal frameworks in Nigeria, GNCI believes the next line of action is to embark on amendment of these laws to accommodate natural capital promotion.

“One of such acts to be amended is the National oil spill detection and Response Agency Act (NOSDRA). The amendment should make oil spillage uneconomical for operators by specifying penalties for pollution and enforcing strict compliance to the law.” The NOSDRA bill should be empowered to coordinate other relevant agencies to place real economic values on the natural capital as part of the cost for any development.

Develop a new institutional legal framework (a National Action Plan or a bill for an act) on natural capital with implementable provisions for protecting and accounting for the supplies and services of ecosystems.GLOBE Nigeria believes that by so doing biodiversity loss would be

significantly reduced.

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1. Activities of all regulatory bodies concerned with environmental protection at all tiers of the government must be synchronized to avoid any role conflicts.

2. There must be a clear understanding of the impacts and cross-sectoral dependencies of biodiversity in relation to natural capital , environmental protection, health, livelihood and our economy.

3. Biodiversity and Natural capital considerations must be embedded in financial accounting products and services, as well as infrastructural development processes.

4. Periodic reporting/disclosure of natural capital information must be done on a regular basis and in a transparent manner.

Four GNCI Sustainability Factors

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Sad News

We are still very far away from reality. Why?

The double threat of climate and land use change enhances risks to biodiversity!

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The combined effects of climate and land use change may intensify the exposure of species and ecosystems to global change.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a plan with relevant metrics of global change that integrate multiple types of threats facing ecosystems, to improve risk assessment, measure the exposure of species to emerging threats, and improve adaptation planning.

We (GLOBE Nigeria) are working hard to ensure that biodiversity conservation becomes an integral component of this plan, at least

from a legislative point of view!

Conclusion

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For more information on GLOBE Nigeria activities, please contact us at: Suite 0.09, Senate New Wing, National Assembly Complex,

Abuja, Nigeria. E. globenigeria2013@gmail.com

T. +2347063463217t. @GLOBE_Nigeria; @innocentonah