As the World Celebrates the 2024 World Environment Day with the theme “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience’’, the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) joins the world in advocating for an end to Land degradation, desertification and drought which are critical issues that pose significant problem to global sustainability, global ecosystem, human livelihood, sustainable development and environment health.
The theme for this year’s celebration underscores the urgent need to address the degradation of our ecosystems and build resilience against the growing challenges of desertification and drought. Land degradation is a critical issue affecting millions of people worldwide. It leads to loss of biodiversity, reduced agricultural productivity, and heightened vulnerability to climate change impacts. Desertification on the other hand, threatens the livelihood of over a billion people who depend on land for their sustenance and its mitigation requires a multifaceted approach, including Sustainable land management, Policy Intervention and Community engagement.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) has emphasized the importance of having economically, socially, and resilient ecosystems. Two billion people worldwide depend on them, and the role of functional and resilient ecosystems plays in human well-being. In Nigeria the issue of Desertification and drought which is induced by Climate Change are undermining livelihood Sustainability is alarming out of 909.890km2 of the Country’s land mass area, about 580, 841km2 accounting for 63.83% of total land is impinge on by desertification.
CEHRD therefore calls for more investment in nature-based solution to tackle this menace so as to meet the worlds climate, biodiversity and ecosystem restoration goals. As one of the major frontline environmental advocates in the Niger delta, CEHRD has implemented various projects across the Niger delta some of which include; conducting an integrated environmental, social, health, human rights and gender (ESHRG) impact baseline study in ogoniland,, trained relevant government agencies and academia on how to undertake biodiversity audits to protect our coastal shores while also sensitizing them on best practices in conducting impact assessments and participated in several biodiversity mapping projects and activities using community citizen science, to identify and preserve biodiversity and species while helping build baseline data of existing species.
In commemoration of the 2024 World Environment Day, CEHRD makes a clarion call on government at all levels, civil society organizations, and indeed all well-meaning members of the public to be part of the solution and not the problem towards Land restoration, Desertification and drought resilience. Each of us therefore has a role to play in the global effort, from supporting policies that promote environmental sustainability to making conscious choices in our daily lives that reduce our ecological footprint . Together we can make a difference and ensure a healthier planet for generation to come.
Signed
Environment and Conservation Unit CEHRD
