Nigeria is on the verge of losing 58 animal species and a huge number of plant species to extinction as activities that threaten biodiversity continue unhindered in the country, Prof. Lucian Chukwu of the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos, Yaba, Lagos, has said.
The biological scientist also disclosed that Nigeria has already lost an estimated 38, 133 kilometre square covering about 43 per cent of the total forest land of Nigeria which comprises 9.61 per cent of total geographic area of 923,768km square to human activities.
In a paper presented during the first international research conference of Yaba College of Technology’s school of Biological Science, Chukwu disclosed that these figures portend great danger in the face of increasing incidence of activities that put the environment in danger in a country that lacked serious legislation that deter such.
Of the animal species faced with extinction, he said the pygmy hippopotamus, African elephant, lion, cheetah, black rhinoceros, Western lowland gorilla, chimpanzee, some species of crocodiles among others are most likely to be affected. This, according to him, has a huge negative impact on the human population.
“People in Nigeria, like most developing economies are disproportionately vulnerable to the loss of biodiversity and reduced ecosystem services as they solely depend on these services,” he said.
According to Chukwu, this dependence with its attendant degradation of ecosystems poses a real threat to the livelihoods, local and regional food security, forest products, freshwater and also biodiversity.
“We are seeing various kinds of activities that are contributing the depletion of our biodiversity unchecked,” he said.
In his paper, Chukwu said Nigeria’s biodiversity consists of 751,000 species of insects, which he said of make up 50 per cent of the entire biodiversity. Similarly, he said, higher plant consists of 220,000 species accounting 15.7 percent, while Fishes, with 19,000 species make up 1.3 of the country’s ecosystem. Chukwu put the entire number of Mammalian species in Nigeria at 4,000 amounting to 0.28 per cent of the system.
Further estimates of biological diversity in Nigeria show that there are 22,090 animal species, 5,081 plant species, and 1,489 species of micro-organisms. Of these, Chukwu said, “Of the total number of plant species, 8.5 per cent are endangered and 0.4 are threatened,” adding that 0.22 per cent of the animal species are endangered with 0.14 threatened.
He mentioned soil erosion of all kinds, flooding, drought and desertification as some of the signs that Nigeria’s ecosystem is threatened. He said this is a major threat to food security.
Author: Onche Odeh | Source: Daily Independent [August 19, 2011]
The biological scientist also disclosed that Nigeria has already lost an estimated 38, 133 kilometre square covering about 43 per cent of the total forest land of Nigeria which comprises 9.61 per cent of total geographic area of 923,768km square to human activities.
In a paper presented during the first international research conference of Yaba College of Technology’s school of Biological Science, Chukwu disclosed that these figures portend great danger in the face of increasing incidence of activities that put the environment in danger in a country that lacked serious legislation that deter such.
Of the animal species faced with extinction, he said the pygmy hippopotamus, African elephant, lion, cheetah, black rhinoceros, Western lowland gorilla, chimpanzee, some species of crocodiles among others are most likely to be affected. This, according to him, has a huge negative impact on the human population.
“People in Nigeria, like most developing economies are disproportionately vulnerable to the loss of biodiversity and reduced ecosystem services as they solely depend on these services,” he said.
According to Chukwu, this dependence with its attendant degradation of ecosystems poses a real threat to the livelihoods, local and regional food security, forest products, freshwater and also biodiversity.
“We are seeing various kinds of activities that are contributing the depletion of our biodiversity unchecked,” he said.
In his paper, Chukwu said Nigeria’s biodiversity consists of 751,000 species of insects, which he said of make up 50 per cent of the entire biodiversity. Similarly, he said, higher plant consists of 220,000 species accounting 15.7 percent, while Fishes, with 19,000 species make up 1.3 of the country’s ecosystem. Chukwu put the entire number of Mammalian species in Nigeria at 4,000 amounting to 0.28 per cent of the system.
Further estimates of biological diversity in Nigeria show that there are 22,090 animal species, 5,081 plant species, and 1,489 species of micro-organisms. Of these, Chukwu said, “Of the total number of plant species, 8.5 per cent are endangered and 0.4 are threatened,” adding that 0.22 per cent of the animal species are endangered with 0.14 threatened.
He mentioned soil erosion of all kinds, flooding, drought and desertification as some of the signs that Nigeria’s ecosystem is threatened. He said this is a major threat to food security.
Author: Onche Odeh | Source: Daily Independent [August 19, 2011]