Esther Salifu
The Minister of State for Environment, D. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has reteirated the urgent need for nature-based solutions (NBS) to address the growing socio-environmental challenges posed by climate change.
In his keynote address, to mark the World Environment Day, Salako highlighted the escalating environmental crises and emphasized the significance of NBS.
“The world continues to grapple with massive socio-environmental challenges emanating from the climate change crisis,” he said. “
To address the challenges in a way that protects the wellbeing of all creatures on planet earth and conserves our biodiversity, nature-based solutions are gaining prominence and relevance”, he said.
World Environment Day was celebrated on June 5, 2024, under the theme “Mobilizing for Nature, for Our Future.”
Salako described NBS as interventions that utilize natural functions of healthy ecosystems to tackle pressing issues.
“NBS are interventions that use nature and the natural functions of healthy ecosystems to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time. They address key societal challenges through the protection, sustainable management, and restoration of both natural and modified ecosystems, benefiting biodiversity and wellbeing,” he explained.
The Minister highlighted Nigeria’s rich biodiversity, noting the country’s diverse ecosystems ranging from savannas to rainforests and mangrove forests.
“Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and the fifth in the Global South, boasts some of the richest flora and fauna biodiversity in Africa,” Salako stated.
He pointed out the economic value of Nigeria’s biodiversity, estimated at over 8 billion USD annually, and stressed the global importance of preserving these natural resources.
Salako also shared Nigeria’s leadership role in promoting nature finance on the international stage.
” At the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) held in Dubai, Nigeria helped launch the Ministerial Alliance for Ambition on Nature Finance (MAANF).
“Nigeria’s resources and placement in the world offers a good platform for leading a global crusade for more attention for the deployment of natural processes to tackle socio-environmental challenges of climate change in a sustainable manner,” Salako said.
The Minister called on the Global North to fulfill their commitment to international biodiversity finance. “
As we mark this year’s edition of World Environment Day, I call on the nations of the Global North to shake off the current apathy around their commitment to deliver at least 20 billion USD annually in international biodiversity finance to developing countries by 2025 and 30 billion USD by 2030,” Salako urged.
Salako concluded by emphasizing the multifaceted benefits of investing in nature.
“When we invest in nature, we protect our ecosystems, safeguard our people, provide good jobs, ensure food security, invite further investment, stabilize our economy, shelter ourselves from climate change, and preserve our indigenous ways of life. Investing in nature is investing in our future and will yield dividends in multiple folds,” he said.
The celebration of World Environment Day in Abuja served as a powerful reminder of the critical role of nature-based solutions in addressing the global environmental crisis and the need for international cooperation and investment to safeguard the planet’s future.
