By Godwin Moses
The mystery of biodiversity, its composition and interactions is beyond our understanding but since humans are the main culprits who often cause damages to the environment through harmful activities, solutions to restoration of same is in the hands of humans.
Biodiversity refers to enormous variety of life on earth. It include every living thing – plants, bacterias, animals and humans. And a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.
The need for conservation of biodiversity has become a global concern. Attitudinal change towards protection of the environment is a good place to begin this expository. We must be ready to act beyond paying lips service. Everyone need to play their roles as individuals, group, families and government.
Objective assessment and holistic review of policies, founding and administration of robust environmental laws are key. Other fundamental roles include raising (cultural, social) consciousness and awareness amongst people living in these rich biodiversity areas and the use of effective strategy in the enforcement of legal codes (laws) and sanctions. Multidisciplinary synergy among critical stakeholders at all levels from relevant sectors can enhance climate resilience, protect lives (biodiversity) and livelihoods, and deliver socio- economic benefits too.
The tropical region of the world is known to harbour a high percentage of the world’s biodiversity. African alone holds about 20% of the world’s bird species total of which 90% are African endemic (Dowsett & Forbe-Watson, 1993). Large species are found in the tropics, including 93% of 902 threatened forest birds (Birdlife International, 2000).
Situated in tropical zone, Plateau State is located in Nigeria’s middle belt, between latitude 80ᶿ24’N and longitude 80ᶿ32′ and 100ᶿ 38′ east with an area of 26,899 square kilometres. Its altitude ranges from 1,200 metres (about 400 feet ) to a peak of 1,829 metres above sea level in the Shere Hills range near Jos.
Though situated in tropical zone, higher altitude means that Plateau State has a near temperature of between 18 ᶿ and 22ᶿC, Harmattan winds cause the coldest weather between December and February. The warmest temperatures usually occur in the dry season months of March and April. The mean annual rainfall varies from 131.75 cm (52 in ) on the southern part to 146cm (57 in ).
It has rich biodiversity and mountainous areas in the north of the State with captivating rock formations. Bare rocks are scattered across the grasslands, which covers the Plateau. Years of Tin mining have also left the area strewn with deep gorges and lakes. The state harbours high density of humans in north central of the country, most of which tend to be ignorant of these natural resources.
Over 300 species of bird have been recorded in Amurum Forest Reserve, located 15km north-east Jos Plateau, including two of Nigeria’s endemic bird species (restricted to Nigeria), the RockFirefinch ( Lagonosticta sanguinidorsalis) and its brood parasite the Jos Plateau indigobird (Vidua maryae). The Jos indigobird is a small bird about 12cm in size, discovered in 1968. The bird is black finches, with pale bill and not indigo in colour.
These birds are found in Panshanu Pass. Taboru Hill near Jos and Kagoro. They birds cannot incubate their eggs, they depend on other birds- usually lays its eggs in the nest of RockFirefinch which helps incubate the eggs of the Jos indigobird. The population of the Jos indigobird is said to be decreasing.
Loss of biodiversity in Plateau State can be attributed to natural disaster or activities which include farming, fuel-wood collection, building of infrastructure, pollution, and logging. Other activities are hunting for caged bird trade, egg- collection and cultural use.
As the duo of illegal logging and deforestation persist, some reptiles and birds sought for shelter in people’s homes as a result, defacing buildings particularly high rise buildings with faeces, this had caused Locals to resort to the use of poisonous substances to get rid of such unwanted creatures. Deforestation under the guise of fuel-wood collection is no justification for such an increase rate of felling (immature) trees without replacements in our communities. This unacceptable practice is fast depleting the (forest) trees and biodiversity.
There is need for State actors to refocus and strategies to meet up with SDG’s goal No.13, and also making biodiversity conservation a priority. The statutory mandates of the concern Ministry, department and agencies or other gate keepers as regards forest management and reserves are clear. However, functional forestry department
require a well trained and motivated human resources and financial commitment for efficient operations.
The role of environmental laws and enforcement cannot be overemphasized therefore, both State and none State actors should pay closer attention to environmental laws.
The State legislative alms should liaise with relevant government establishments, environmental professionals, and civil society groups (CSO) to strengthen or amend ‘’ Obsolete ‘’ environmental laws, and other primary laws in respect to licencing of loggers and sanctions to reflect current realities. Sanctions, penalties or punishments to be meted to those who contravene such laws should be more stiffer or intense. The law if deployed without compromise can mitigate environmental degradation and pollution that is causing loss of biodiversity in the State.
Also, there is need to promotes awareness of biodiversity issues across all media platforms through unique program of education and public outreach. This will empower people to bring urgent information to the frontline responders including community leaders for necessary action to safeguard biodiversity.
The use of educational campaigns and sensitization slogan such as ‘’ Investment in the environment, is an investment in our health ‘’ should be heard everywhere. The idea is to cause a paradigm shift from being passive to being active. The media as an effective tool for mass mobilization and education should be leverage on to change the mind-set of the populace.
Farmers should be encourage and assisted to deploy the use of modern technology in farming and land clearing as well as control use of pesticides, herbicides, preservatives and other chemical in such a manner that environmental friendly farming activities are being practice with minimal environmental degradation so as to prevent erosion, pollution, deforestation, desertification, loss of biodiversity and other adverse impact of climate change.
As a State, we must fall back to improve our development control policies and begin to do the needful as the frontiers of infrastructural development and urbanization increases. Development control measures should be holistically enforced rather than compromised when private property developers or government infrastructural development such as roads and many others are erroneously or deliberately pushed or cited on green area or forest reserves.
Similarly, there is no better approach to issues of deforestation than robust afforestation. State actors as well as Partners should not only take the lead but be seen as practically committed and involved in consistence planting or re-establishment of forest in strategic areas in urban and rural communities as guided by baseline studies.
The enforcement unit of relevant authorities must ensure to implement policies like the one which require persons directly or indirectly involved in legal or illegal felling of every single tree to plant three in same vicinity.
Globally, leaders and professionals are in the forefront of the fight to safeguard the planet- environment from the adverse impact of climate change. In Plateau State our traditional leader as well as opinion leaders should equally act in that regard.
Such leaders must roll off their sleeves and deliberately get involve by personally setting the pace through design and support of a measurable and attainable work plan aim at creating awareness to ensure that large percentage of the people understood the need to take care of the environment and the dangers of failure to protect biodiversity in their respective domains. And periodically taking stock or an overview of the journey so far on what the community has done right or has failed to do right since they have a key role to play as the custodians of the people.
Again, we need to remain focused and continue to emphasize the fact that birds are useful indicators of the state of the environment and are key species for education and public awareness. This may be because of their high mobility, which make it easy for them to move from an unsuitable area to another. Bird serving as indicators if protected can lead to the protection of the biodiversity. The conservation of the species therefore, will lead to conservation of other biodiversity (including Mammals like humans, Reptiles and invertebrates).
