National Policy Dialogue (NPD) Workshop

A three-day National Policy Dialogue on Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Government policies and Private Sector practice was organized by SCERA in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Coalition for Biodiversity Conservationists of Nigeria (CBCN). The workshop held from 15 - 17 June 2023 was attended by 30 participants, representing 17 institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Environment, National Park Service, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), National Center for Remote Sensing and officials of the Okomu National Park (ONP) in Edo State. It was also attended by private sector and civil society participants, including the Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, Edo State, the ONP communities, represented by Udo Community, NCF, CBCN, SCERA and international donors and development partners, with the National Coordinator of the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, the Policy Lead of the USAID-West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED), Dr Wale Adeleke and the Regional Implementation Team of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) Ruth Akagu in attendance. The Dialogue, which was held at the SEFCON hotel in Gwarinpa Abuja was funded by CEPF

During the Policy Dialogue, recommendations and an action plan for mainstreaming biodiversity into government policies and private sector practice were agreed upon by participants. It is anticipated that the recommendations agreed at the national level will be rolled out at ONP and other protected areas.





Okomu Biodiversity Stakeholders Platform (OBSP)

In the course of the CEPF Project, SCERA established a coordination forum, the Okomu Biodiversity Stakeholders Platform (OBSP) at the Okomu National Park, which an opportunity for communities to voice their concerns and have open and constructive dialogue with park management and other stakeholders. This has enabled stakeholders to better understand community concerns, environmental challenges and opportunities and how best to work collectively to achieve positive outcomes. The opportunity provided to interact freely with communities helped us understand that communities have the will to protect their forest but need to be empowered to build their capacity to take action. Such a platform will empower communities and create a sense of ownership, which will further increase their willingness and ability to support the protection of the park. However, the need for livelihood diversification and enhancement cannot be over-emphasized as this will provide the necessary incentives to support conservation.

The OBSP is made up of the Okomu Park Management, 12 Park-fringe communities (including traditional leaders, men, women, youth and resource users), NGOs, civil society, private sector and Federal and State government ministries and agencies





International Wildlife and Environmental Day celebrations

SCERA has supported various international environmental and wildlife day celebrations, including the International Day of Biological Diversity and International Day of Forest, visiting schools and raising awareness on radio. During the 2022 International Day of Forest, SCERA joined the Federal Ministry of Environment and other national partners in Abuja in the launch of the National Forest Policy 2020. SCERA also recently supported and participated in the Word Rangers Day 2023 celebration.