Russell Brooks
In
commemoration of 2019 World Wildlife Day, the United States Consulate
General in Lagos on Tuesday held a program in collaboration with the
International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) and
Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative.
Delivering
remarks at the event attended by leading environmental conservation
activists, Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Consulate General
Lagos, Mr. Russell Brooks, urged Nigerians to treat the conservation
of the oceans and aquatic wildlife as an individual responsibility,
in order to preserve marine habitats for future generations.
Brooks,
speaking on the theme of Life
below Water,
observed that as much as 40% of the world’s oceans are negatively
affected by human activity, including overexploitation of marine
species, loss of coastal habitats and pollution. He highlighted the
crucial importance of the oceans and marine species to human
development and emphasized the necessity for increased conservation
education.
“Marine
wildlife has sustained human civilization and development for over a
thousand years, from providing food and nourishment, to providing
material for handicrafts and construction. We cannot take their
survival for granted. We can reduce some of the negative
effects of our activity on life under the water, by working hard to
spread the message to reduce marine pollution.” Brooks said.
Delivering
welcoming remarks earlier, the Communications Director at ICCDI, Mr.
Abiodun Adekoya, noted that effective climate change mitigation in
the country would require concerted action by governments and
individuals, with an emphasis on conservation education, recycling
programs and the creation of a legal framework for the nation’s
policy on the environment.
World
Wildlife Day is observed annually on March 3, following a
proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December
2013.
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