NESREA, WILDAID TEAM UP ON WILDLIFE SENSITIZATION

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with an environmental organization, WildAid, to create awareness on wildlife conservation.
Both parties will collaborate to promote awareness about wildlife laws among the general public, encourage pride in the wildlife heritage of Nigeria and make wildlife conservation aspirational in Nigeria.
NESREA and WildAid will also work to highlight the social and moral unacceptability of poaching and wildlife smuggling and the negative economic impact that they have on the country.
The Director General of NESREA, Prof. Aliyu Jauro said the partnership will give the needed boost to the efforts by the Agency to increase citizens’ awareness on the need for wildlife conservation and protection.
“NESREA has continued to engage in awareness creation not just on wildlife protection, but on all aspects of environment in a bid to get people to be aware and also know their roles as citizens.”
For WildAid founder and CEO, Peter Knights, the move was to take Nigeria to the top of the league in wildlife protection. “It is important for people to understand the law and who they can go to when the law is broken,” he added.
Nigeria is a signatory to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES, which was domesticated by the enactment of the Endangered Species Act in 1985, now Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) (Amendment) Act, 2016
The Agency has also developed and gazetted the National Environmental (Protection of Endangered Species in International Trade) Regulations 2011. This regulation targets the protection of wildlife in the country is enforced by NESREA through the clampdown on illicit trade in endangered species.
The partnership with WildAid will help to publicize the provisions of these laws and regulations for the benefit of citizens.
NESREA has the mandate to enforce all environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations as well as to enforce compliance with provisions of International Agreements, Protocols, Conventions and Treaties to which Nigeria is signatory.
Amaka Ejiofor
Chief Information Officer