The Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently sign the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2025 into law, warning that Nigeria’s biodiversity is facing unprecedented threats requiring immediate action.
The appeal was made in a statement issued to mark World Biodiversity Day 2026, where the conservation body also urged the federal government to fully implement and fund Nigeria’s revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) aimed at halting biodiversity loss by 2030.
NCF said Nigeria, despite being one of Africa’s most biodiverse countries with nearly 8,000 plant species and over 22,000 animal species, was experiencing rapid biodiversity decline due to deforestation, climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, illegal wildlife trade and invasive species.
According to the organisation, Nigeria has already lost more than 90 per cent of its original forest cover, placing ecosystems and species under severe pressure.
Director General of the NCF, Joseph Onoja, said biodiversity loss was already affecting food security, water resources, livelihoods and public health across communities.
“Biodiversity loss is not an abstract global problem. It is happening in our forests, wetlands, and communities, and it affects food security, water, health, and livelihoods,” Onoja said.
He noted that while global biodiversity targets provide direction, meaningful progress depends on local implementation and accountability.
The NCF explained that Nigeria’s revised NBSAP aligns with the global Kunming–Montreal Biodiversity Framework and commits the country to protecting at least 30 per cent of land, inland waters and marine ecosystems by 2030.
The plan also targets ecosystem restoration, sustainable use of natural resources, stronger biodiversity monitoring systems, improved public awareness, and increased financing for conservation efforts.
The organisation stressed that biodiversity protection efforts must be inclusive, adequately funded and supported by scientific research, warning that delays in action could further narrow opportunities to reverse biodiversity loss.
NCF said it would continue over the next five years to prioritise conservation programmes for endangered species and vulnerable ecosystems through partnerships with communities, state governments, academia and the private sector.
The initiatives, according to the foundation, include combating illegal wildlife hunting and trade, restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening biodiversity monitoring, and integrating conservation priorities into development planning.
The conservation body also urged businesses to adopt biodiversity-friendly practices and invest in nature-based solutions, while calling on Nigerians to discourage illegal wildlife exploitation and the promotion of indiscriminate hunting on social media.
NCF maintained that signing the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill into law would strengthen legal frameworks needed to prosecute wildlife crimes, regulate trade in endangered species and deter biodiversity exploitation in the country.
