NCF marks World Migratory Bird Day in Lagos
By Eyo Nsima
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), a premier Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to nature conservation and sustainable development in Nigeria, has marked the 2022 World Migratory Bird Day in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Director General, NCF, Dr. Muhtari Aminu, said: “Twice every year, the world comes together to celebrate, commemorate and raise awareness on the beauty of threats of migration. Migration is the seasonal movements of birds between their breeding and wintering sites. This seasonal activity is an important event that ensures the survival of lots of bird species.
“A few years ago, WMBD highlighted the important ways in which birds connect the world beyond political geography. Years down the line, awareness is continually created on threats facing these migratory birds. One thing is fundamentally clear, human activities are threatening these species across the globe.
“This year, the theme of the World Migratory Bird Day is “DIm the lights for birds at Night”. A lot of us may wonder how this is relevant to birds? Especially for Nigeria, where we have local issues with regard to power. We have a guest lecturer who is more than capable of doing justice to this puzzle.
“Every year, ornithologists and conservation biologists study birds in all types of environments globally, monitoring their numbers and diversity. And in recent years, it has been observed that species are declining rapidly, driving species to the brink of extinction. From habitat loss, indiscriminate killing and trade in birds, plastic pollution, etc, birds are increasingly exposed to factors within the environment that they have not adapted to.
“Human development and the emergence of amazing technology is rarely done with consideration to sustainability. We are ruining the ecosystem for a lot of species we share this space with. We must understand that protecting a species or group of species does not restrict the benefits to that group alone. Rather, adapting recommended changes extends benefits to other wildlife and human well-being.
“With the support of Vogelbescherming Nederlands and Wetland International, we have put together this event to raise awareness for migratory birds and the ecosystem by extension. I hope that our take-home message here will be not just in our words or pictures, but an attitudinal change that will be translated to a better environment for all forms of life in the ecosystem including man.”
Similarly, the Guest Lecturer, a senior lecturer, at the Department of Zoology, University of Lagos, Dr. Soladoye Iwajomo, who made strong advocacy for the conservation of birds, said they are very important to life.
Specifically, he said birds fly to different places around the world in search of suitable environments for survival, stressing that excessive use of light affects their reproduction.
The lecturer called on all stakeholders to assist in the creation of suitable environments for birds in order to maximize the benefits of birds for society.
