Expert calls for research institute to save rare animals, plants

As a way of conserving and reproducing rare breeds of animals in Nigeria, a forestry and animal species expert, Dr Edem Eniang, has said that the country is losing heavily by not having a Wildlife Research Institute. Dr Eniang, who is an associate Professor in Wildlife Resources Management/ Herpetology, said Nigeria is one of the […]

As a way of conserving and reproducing rare breeds of animals in Nigeria, a forestry and animal species expert, Dr Edem Eniang, has said that the country is losing heavily by not having a Wildlife Research Institute.

Dr Eniang, who is an associate Professor in Wildlife Resources Management/ Herpetology, said Nigeria is one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of the rare breeds of animals that nature has bestowed the country with.

In a lecture in Calabar, Eniang said there is a rich array of rare, endemic, endangered and critically endangered species of wild plants and animals which abound throughout the nation and are a goldmine.

He said the country has a good chance of reproducing them on a yearly basis with high propensity for profit and huge employment.

According to him, if the nation can institute a Wildlife Management/Conservation Agency devoid of political innuendos and identify and recruit a sound team of experts to develop, promote and supervise such a sector, fund it appropriately, the wildlife sector alone has the capacity to create more than a million jobs with a revenue generation profile surpassing the present oil sector of Nigeria through research, afforestation, ecotourism, trade in forest products including wildlife amongst others.

He wondered why Nigeria with such vast forests had no formal body to harness the wealth from her forests.

“How can you explain to anyone that as at 2018, Nigeria has no Wildlife Research Institute, yet many universities are offering courses in Wildlife Management? If we do not have such an agency, how then can we account for our natural endowments like birds, amphibians, mammals, insects and fishes? he asked.