CERCOPAN

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jul 03 2008 | By: cercopan

For the last month, I have barely set foot in my office at CERCOPAN HQ. The state government held a stakeholders’ Environmental Summit here in Calabar from 25th -28th June and the organizing team, of which I was a member, worked day and night to ensure that it was a huge success. We had just over three weeks to book hotels, fundraise, organize food, clean and prepare the venue, initiate the publicity campaign, organize vehicles to transport guests, design and print the programmes, banners and invitations, set up computers, screens, lighting etc. etc. The media attention during the run up to the event was particularly grueling, with a constant stream of talk shows, press conferences and radio interviews. My very limited wardrobe had me wracking my brains every morning trying to come up with new combinations that would not make it look as though I only have one jacket! Towards the end, I actually wondered if we could pull everything together in time (particularly after a few last-minute unexpected hitches), but when the day came, it all just fell into place.

The high table at the summit  (me on far left)

The theme of the Summit was “Developing and Sustaining a Green and Safe Environment for Present and Future Generations” and it focused on Forests and Biodiversity, Urban Environmental Management, Climate Change, Energy, Industrial Ecology, and Environmental Governance. The aim of the summit was for stakeholders to come together and contribute towards shaping the future of environmental policy in Cross River State.   It was attended by representatives from Federal and State Governments, overseases experts, Members of the Diplomatic Corp, National and State Assemblies, Academia, Development Partners, Non-Governmental Organisations, Media and the general public. Representatives from the communities that work with CERCOPAN were also invited, and they were delighted to be placed in the VIP section with all of the important guests. They were particularly excited and proud that the poster backdrop and event programme were filled with pictures from their forest, Rhoko. I was initially afraid that I would not be able to spot my friends from the communities amongst all of the other guests, but as the only attendees wearing bright red woolen bobble hats, I need not have worried!

Traditional dancers at the opening ceremony (can you spot my community members towards the top right?)

After the opening Ceremony, with its speeches and dances, the general public headed for home and the technical experts split into thematic groups to contribute ideas and give presentations. I was placed in the Forest and Biodiversity group alongside my colleagues from the Forestry Commission, Cross River National Park, Federal National Parks service etc. The discussion in our group was very lively and after numerous talks and a great deal of deliberation, we presented our ideas to all of the other groups.

Representative from  Federal National Parks service giving a presentation

At the end of the summit, the contributions from all of the groups were summarised into broad recommendations and a Communique produced. This documents was submitted to the State government and accepted unanimously yesterday. The recommendations were as follows:

1. Halt revenue targets based on timber exploitation and focus on forest conservation and regeneration for possible carbon finance.

2. Initiate action to take advantage of the carbon credit market.

3. Declare a two year moratorium on logging, timber cutting and sawing in forest reserves and also put in place adequate enforcement measures to halt deforestation and forest degradation.

4. Identify and implement short and long-term adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of climate change due to global warming.

5. Promote the use of renewable energy sources such as micro hydropower, biomass, energy efficient woodstoves, solar, etc. to complement the conventional energy supply.

6. Promote Sustainable Forest Management and reforestation at the State, Local and community levels.

7. Facilitate the change from harmful agricultural practices to eco-agriculture.

8. Establish a sustainable integrated waste management system including a recycle village through public, private and community participation.

9. Implement an improved water supply scheme in the State, with centralized sewage system in new settlements.

10. Promote the establishment of waste water/effluent treatment plants in all industries and conduct environmental audits in industries.

11. Establish a State Environmental Sustainability Fund or Eco-fund as a more coordinated, holistic and focused approach for managing environment for sustainable development.

12. Establish a Museum of Natural History to support eco-tourism and environmental education.

 13. Adopt a multi-sectoral approach to review and harmonize all legal frameworks and institutions dealing with environmental issues in the State.

14. Set up an institutional mechanism to facilitate compliance monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards and regulations, and to partner with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

15. Integrate Gender and Youth issues into the State Environmental Policy of clean, green and safe environment.

16. Introduce environmental education into the school curriculum at all levels and in collaboration with Stakeholders.

17. Enhance the development of environmental governance, advocacy and sustainable livelihood options, especially at the community level.

18. Set-up a technical team to develop a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) to enable the implementation of the outcome of the Summit within the next four (4) weeks.

His Excellency the Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke giving keynote address

Just when I thought my work was over and I may actually start arriving home before 9pm at night, I was asked to join the technical team and now have 4 weeks to help develop the Forest and Biodiversity section of the Action Plan. This plan will incorporate more of the detail arising from our group discussions in addition to new ideas and input. I am sure its going to keep me very busy, but I really am delighted to be part of such a forward thinking government initiative. His Excellency the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke and the Commissioner of the Environment, Dr Julius Okputu, are both so committed to ensuring the natural heritage of the State is conserved, that I am certain this action plan will achieve results. I will post the biodiversity section in 4 weeks time when it’s complete so watch this space!

Commissioner of the Environment, Dr Julius Okputu