Some participants at the ongoing UNESCO Biodiversity Business training have urged governments at different levels to complement UNESCO and donors’ efforts in biodiversity conservation.

They also urged the government to escalate providing alternative sources of livelihood for residents of rural communities.

The participants made the call during an interview on Wednesday at Akamkpa, Cross River State, at the ongoing Nigeria-UNESCO Biodiversity business in Oban Biosphere Reserve.

The event featured the training of 12 Oban communities on fishery, poultry and piggery.

It was meant to promote poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Nigeria.

It was also meant to create alternative livelihoods and foster sustainable economic development across local communities in Oban biosphere reserves.

One of the beneficiaries, Josephine Ayamiza, said the training exposed her to a better understanding of how resources in the biosphere reserve could be preserved for future generations.

“This will help me to know how to talk to the young ones, telling them the advantages and disadvantages and why we need to protect the reserve,” she said.

Ms Ayamiza said that the training required continuity to ensure that the ideas behind it were sustained.

Another beneficiary, Mbey Paulinus, said that he had realised that when the environment was affected negatively, it would be transferred to human lives.

According to him, UNESCO has come to liberate the people from ignorance and destructive tendencies towards the environment.

“We are here to support efforts that UNESCO and the National Park are making and ensure that the park works for the good of the society and humanity,” he said.

Sylvia Eno said there was a need to restore some wildlife television programmes for more awareness, adding that doing so would help reawaken the consciousness on preserving biosphere reserves.

“If I go back to my community, I will educate my people that what we have been practising is wrong; I commend UNESCO for this training. This is an eye-opener,” she said.

Felicia Aidam said the state and local government should find ways of engaging the youths by providing jobs to distract them from exploiting their biosphere reserve.

“If we keep exploiting our forest, we will not have anything preserved for our children because we are growing and going to die someday; we need to keep our heritage for posterity.

“The government needs to provide jobs and empower the communities for sustainable development so they can leave the forest alone,’’ she said.

The programme is sponsored by the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.

It is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Man and Biosphere (MAB) committee, the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) and the National Park Service. 

(NAN)