Environmental experts has called for proper inventory of natural resources, stronger environmental education and sustained grassroots engagement to improve conservation and biodiversity restoration in Nigeria.
The experts made the call in Ibadan at the International Day of Forest celebration organised by the Geo-Information Society of Nigeria (GEOSON), Oyo State Chapter.
The event had as its theme: “Geomentorship for Biodiversity Restoration and Monitoring.”
A lecturer and researcher in the Department of Geography, University of Ibadan, Dr Rotimi Obateru, said conservation efforts must begin with understanding the country’s natural resources through proper inventory and documentation.
Obateru, whose research focuses on biogeography, soil, landscape ecology, GIS and remote sensing, said deep knowledge of available natural resources was critical to sustainable environmental management.
According to him, environmental education is also essential, especially at the grassroots, where people need to understand how daily practices contribute to environmental degradation and long-term climate risks.
“We need to first understand what we have, take inventory of our natural resources, and have deep knowledge of what we have,” Obateru said.
He said Nigeria was facing multiple environmental pressures from both natural and human-induced factors, stressing that while natural forces may be beyond human control, anthropogenic pressures can be reduced.
“We cannot control the natural, but we can control the anthropogenic. We humans are the drivers of that,” he said.
Obateru listed deforestation, indiscriminate land use transformation and poor waste management among major practices degrading the environment, urging more awareness campaigns to discourage harmful habits.
He said schools and communities should become focal points for environmental sensitisation, noting that community-based assessment and grassroots enlightenment were necessary for lasting behavioural change.
“There is a circular causal relationship between human interaction and environmental processes. What you do will affect the environment and the environment will in turn affect you,” he said.
Also speaking, Sr. Mary Ugobi-Onyemere, a philosopher and inquirer in geospatial problems and prospects, stressed the need for environmental stewardship and continuity in afforestation campaigns.
Ugobi-Onyemere said students, especially at secondary school level, should be encouraged to become more environmentally and spatially conscious to strengthen future conservation outcomes.
She said the country must move beyond tree planting rhetoric by ensuring sustained nursery development, mapping of planted trees and prioritising indigenous species with higher survival chances.
“My advice would be that they should patronise the move and keep sustainable efforts, continuity, in trying to patronise tree planting, nursery mapping,” she said.
She added that indigenous trees should be prioritised because they were better adapted to the local environment and had stronger survival prospects when properly nurtured.
“We need more trees than what we deforest,” Ugobi-Onyemere said.
Earlier, Chairman of GEOSON in Oyo State, Mr David Afolayan, said the society was using geomentorship to promote tree planting in schools and communities while deploying geospatial tools for mapping and monitoring.
Afolayan said the initiative was designed to help younger generations understand the earth better, appreciate biodiversity and apply technology to solving environmental challenges.
“We are going to schools to plant trees, using our technology to map where the trees have been planted, using the same technology to monitor as the tree grows,” he said.
Also, Oyo State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ademola Aderinto, said the state government would continue to support efforts aimed at restoring biodiversity and strengthening environmental protection.
Aderinto, however, stressed that government alone could not achieve the required impact, calling for stronger collaboration among professional bodies, institutions, communities and residents.
“You must realise this is not what government can do alone, there’s a limit to how much government can do in terms of this,” he said.
Stakeholders at the event agreed that conservation would require stronger laws, community ownership, environmental education, protection of indigenous species and technology-driven monitoring of restoration efforts.
