By Cornelius Eku Randall
FREETOWN, Oct. 28. (232News) – In a bid to continue its mandate to promote biodiversity, conservation, wildlife management, research, provide for the sale of ecosystems services in the national protected areas and provide for other related matters, the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) in collaboration with Environment Foundation of Africa (EFA) has planted Twenty Five Thousand (25,000) Trees in Degraded Forest Land in Western Area Peninsula National Park.
The theme for the event which took place on Friday 22nd October 2021 was: “Ecosystems Restoration in protected Area Be part of it”.
In his statement, the Executive Director National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) Mr. Joseph Ranto Musa said that forests perform aesthetical ecological functions; they provide habitats, act as carbon sinks and contribute to maintaining and enhancing soil quality. Yet in Sierra Leone today, removing trees without sufficient reforestation, especially in Protected Area result in habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, deforestation causing species extinction and climate change.
As a result of this negative trend in the country, the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA), in collaboration with Environment foundation of Africa, decided to undertake this exercise within the Western Area Peninsular National Park, one of the (15) fifteen protected Area under the management and supervision of the NPPA.
This event is one of many tree planting interventions NPPA intends to carry out in degraded area across the country’s Protected Areas
“As an institution, we are aware of the enormous challenges of managing the protected Areas, hence the need for continuous collaboration and partnership with other stakeholders. A total of twenty five thousand (25,000) trees will be planted around 50 (fifty) arches of degraded forest land in Western Area Peninsula park,” Mr. Musa ended.
In his statement the Executive Director Environmental Foundation of Africa (EFA) Tommy Garnett noted that the western area peninsula park used to be a tropical paradise in those days but have lost its core values and the level of deforestation is highly risky of the environment.
He stated that it is the first time in history that Sierra Leone that Sieraa Leone has a ministry of the environment that has brought all environmental agencies together.
In his keynote address, the Minister of the Environment Prof. Foday .M. Jaward said forest is a stabilizing force for the climate. “They regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and play on integral part in the carbon cycle, support livelihood and supply goods and services that can drive sustainable growth. They are one of the most important solutions to addressing the effects of climate Approximately 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide one third of the Co2 released from burning fossil fuels, is absorbed by forests every year,” he said.
Estimates show that nearly two billion hectares of degraded land across the world ~ an area the size of South America ~ offer opportunities for restoration increasing and maintaining forest is therefore an essential solution to climate.
Halting the loss and degradation of forest ecosystems and promoting their restoration have potential to contribute over one third of the total climate change mitigation that scientist says required by 2030 to meet the objective of the Paris agreement.
At the heart of the problem lie deep-rooted, widespread institutional failures.
The solution starts with the understanding and accepting a simple truth which suggests that our economies are embedded within nature and not external yet every single year, we lose ecosystems services worth more than 10% of global economic output. A third of world’s farmland is degraded, about 87% of inland wetland worldwide has disappointed since 1700, and a third of commercial fish species are in the brink of extinction.
Degradation is already affecting the well-being of an estimated 3.2 billion people almost 40% of the world’s population.
Ecosystem restoration is needed on a large scale as it delivers on multiple benefits and helps us deliver on the sustainable development agenda
Restoration will no doubt curb the risk of mass species extinctions and future pandemics.
Restoration of forest landscapes, farming, livestock and fish producing ecosystems require special care and have to be brought to a healthy and stable state
Planting trees is one of the most important things we can do to contribute to the health of the planet.
Trees and forest are the living of our planet drawing in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen. Therefore, trees are vital accompaniment to human life. The loss of forests and their ecosystem deprives the world of carbon sinks.
Emission of global greenhouse gassed have grown exponentially for three years in a row and the blue planet is a step ahead in its path to potentially catastrophic climate change
The Ministry of the Environment has taken restoration of the ecosystem as a priority because of the aforementioned importance not forest to the survival of humanity
If everyone in attendance here today and our families were to plant a tree each and every year and protect them grow to maturity, we would be doing a great thing by protecting the earth.
Other statements were made by representatives from European Union (EU), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Conservation Trust Fund, and Conservation Society Sierra Leone (CSSL).
