The Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has urged ECOWAS member states to advocate for a commitment to expand protected areas to at least 30 per cent of the planet by 2030.
He made this known on Monday during the ECOWAS coordination meeting in Abuja.
The minister said the region is entrusted with that important mandate to produce a regional 30 by 30 implementation plan which seeks to secure the effective protection of at least 30% of the ECOWAS region to preserve our life-giving ecosystems and to halt immediately the human-induced extinction of wild species.
“ECOWAS region is the only part of the world that is looking at its contribution to halting biodiversity loss through a regional lens, a template critical for global success and to securing nature for future generations. The healthier our region’s biodiversity is, the better it will be in withstanding future climate and biodiversity shocks and the more reslient to continue to deliver for the people,” he stressed.
Dr Salako assured the sub-regional body will take the lead in ambition for biodiversity once again and we will work through the difficult technical aspects and conceive new paths forward, knowing that the eyes of the world are upon us. Our hard work to expand and strengthen our protected areas will serve not only as a sign of our commitment but also as a wake-up call to the rest of the world.
He called on the international community to be more ambitious in its response. Our appeal is for an ambitious and urgent global response to the biodiversity crisis and more financial support to ECOWAS collectively and individually to realise the 30by30 vision.
He said, “When we support one another, we all do better, and over half of global GDP relies on rich biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. The investment in biodiversity conservation and the 30 by30 agenda, is a long term investment in our economies and the future of our different countries and indeed the world which will definitely yield return in multiple folds.
“We should be ready to secure the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities who are the best protectors of the world’s richest biodiversity gifted to our sub-region.
“We are ready to act together to protect the lands and oceans that provide our generous ecosystem services and give rise to our utterly unique environments.
