Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Environment, Sharon Ikeazor Barr, called on other African countries to support the worldwide initiative of protecting at least 30 percent of land and seas by 2030 by joining the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) and The Blue Leaders coalition. Nigeria is a leader in advocating for the protection of not only Africa’s biodiversity, environment, and habitats, but also those around the globe.
The Need for a Global Commitment to Nature Recovery
Protected areas are recognized as the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation and yet today, only 15 percent of the world’s land mass and 7 percent of the oceans are protected. Born Free USA applauds Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Environment for her call to action, which Born Free USA supports through the Global Nature Recovery Investment Initiative (GNRII). The GNRII is a means to advocate for the protection of people and wildlife around the globe. The initiative aims to:
- Halt and reverse biodiversity loss and wildlife over-exploitation;
- Deliver enhanced ecosystem viability and services alongside climate change mitigation; and
- Promote public and animal health, sustainable livelihoods, and food and societal security.
The GNRII also looks to promote international and national commitments to place public health, food and water security, poverty alleviation, biodiversity protection, and healthy ecosystems on an equal standing politically, financially, and socially. Through financial reform, governments can invest more and allocate increased funding towards protecting biodiversity, the environment, and habitat degradation.
“Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Environment Sharon Ikeazor Barr has made a bold call to action for international support to protect at least 30 percent of land and seas by 2030. Making significant and lasting changes that will provide a sustainable future and safeguard the long-term well-being and security of current and future human generations required the support and investment of countries throughout the world.”
– Angela Grimes, Born Free USA CEO.
The World Is at a Critical Tipping Point
Around the globe, communities and entire nations struggle with the affects of climate change on their livelihoods. Through increased and prolonged droughts, extreme temperatures, and an increase in natural disasters, climate change is having a profound effect on water supplies, food security, and the destruction of homes.
Ahead of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and as part of the Global Nature Recovery Investment Initiative, Born Free USA joins with Nigeria in calling on countries to join the High Ambition Coalition and The Blue Leaders to support protecting at least 30 percent of land and seas by 2030. We must act immediately and together if we want a chance to reverse the decline of the natural world for a better and more sustainable future.
To learn more about Born Free USA’s Global Nature Recovery Investment Initiative, click here.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Julie
