The Lagos State Government over the weekend reaffirmed its commitment to raising awareness on the importance of wetlands and environmental conservation as well as their critical importance to the ecosystem.
Speaking against the backdrop of the recently celebrated Biodiversity Day in a chat with newsmen, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello stated that wetlands contribute to biodiversity and freshwater availability.
Calling for the adoption of best practices to protect the Lagos ecosystem, the Commissioner emphasised the need for concerted efforts to restore wetlands, which is also a good source of fresh water.
He cautioned that despite the enormous benefits, wetlands have been threatened for decades with 35percent of it lost since the year 1970 and another 74 percent of the planet’s surface altered by human actions.
Bello highlighted some of the consequences of unsustainable use of wetlands such as water scarcity, exposure to flooding and extreme weather events, loss of livelihoods and wellbeing as well as food insecurity.
“Wetlands are known to be natural purifiers but the wetlands in Lagos State are facing an unprecedented pressure for housing occasioned by an increasing human population, leading to sand-filling and consequential loss of the wetlands”, he stated.
The Commissioner gave an assurance that the State Government would continue to address wetland quality decline through wetland restoration plans such as routine monitoring of the identified wetlands and aggressive public awareness/advocacy campaigns.
