Biodiversity Conservation, Costly Omission in Biya’s End-of-Year Address 

VoN News Conservation, Species & Ecosystems20 Comments on Biodiversity Conservation, Costly Omission in Biya’s End-of-Year Address 

Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, in his traditional end of year address to the nation, December 31, 2018, promised to in line with his greater opportunity development plan, “steer us to “the threshold of emergence.” In order to realize this, the head of state promised to enhance economic growth and improve on the living conditions of Cameroonians, completely leaving out biodiversity conservation and environmental management, which is not only the key to economic development, but a vital contributor to human development.

              President  Paul Biya 

Biodiversity and ecosystems are a veritable source of livelihoods and employment to a vast majority of rural populations across Cameroon.  They provide cash all year round to youths and a vast majority of rural women, who harvest and market Non Timber Forest Products (NTPs) like Njangsang, Bush Mango, Bush Pepper, Bush Onions, Bitter Kola, Red Kola, Eru, Cashew, Monkey Kola and others, reducing crime wave and limiting large scale urban migration. Biodiversity and ecosystems also pose as source of fresh water and fuel to both the rural and urban populations of Cameroon. So, promising to enhance economic growth and address youth unemployment, without articulating palpable plans regarding biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystems management as a whole was a costly omission by President Paul Biya. Costly because if biodiversity and ecosystems depletion continues at current rate, most rural youths, women and indigenous communities, will be stripped of the source of food and income they have built their lives and traditions on over the centuries in the long run.

Besides, biodiversity and ecosystems is very essential in enhancing soil fertility and formation, crop pollination, and water provision, which are indispensable in agricultural systems. So, without biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystems management, Biya’s plans to modernize agriculture in Cameroon will not be very effective, both in the short and long terms.

With the exponential depletion in biodiversity species, and being a signatory to biodiversity conservation related conventions like the convention on Biodiversity, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife, Desertification, Wetlands, Ozone Layer Protection, Climate Change and others, President Paul Biya cannot afford omitting environmental issues in key policy speeches, as has been the case over the years. Even Pope Francis opined a few years ago that neglecting the environment is sin.

B. Shancho Ndimuh

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