Over 5000 In Tofala Educated On Conservation
During a week-long environmental protection and wildlife conservation sensitization campaign, February 11 to 15, over 5000 persons from Fossimondi, M’mockbie and Nwangong villages in biodiversity-rich Tofala, Lebialem Division, were educated on the urgent need to conserve endangered wildlife species like the Cross River gorilla, Nigerian-Cameroon chimpanzee and many others in the Proposed Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (PTHWS). They also received education on how to shun poor environmental practices like the slash-and-burn farming system and indiscriminate cutting down of trees, amongst others.
By Bertrand Shancho Ndimuh
ERuDeF Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Coordinator, Akeh Nug, during the sensitization campaign launched at some point on the 48th National Youth Day dubbed the ERuDeF Wildlife Advocacy Week (WAW), urged the people of this biodiversity hot spot to join hands with ERuDeF in conserving wildlife and saving their rather porous landscapes against natural disasters like landslide, floods and soil erosion.
To better depict the conservation messages, the ESD set up an exhibition stand, decorated green for a green planet, with portraits and posters of some protected wildlife species erected for the people to familiarise themselves with.
With the aid of the ESD coordinators, pupils and students stamped their palms around pictures of great gapes with unique statements like “I love chimpanzees and gorillas,” “they are our cousins,” “plant trees,” “Chimpanzees and gorillas are my friends” and many others.
Having launched the WAW in G.H.S M’muock, the ESD team went to Fossimondi, M’mockbie and Nwangong villages and held seminars/workshops on the identification of various apes and endangered wildlife species; projected documentaries on tree planting and the activities of some wildlife species, had constructive interaction with students, pupils and teachers on the short and long term implications of conserving the country’s wildlife species and bio-diversities.
These activities were interspersed with conservation songs, poetry dramatization and drama on the importance of environmental protection and wildlife conservation by the environmental clubs of different schools in each of these villages. They were also involved in competitions like the “Sweet, and sack races for gorilla conservation.”
After the educative and enlightening week-long activities, the environmental clubs moved round their communities posting posters of endangered animal species they want protected.
This sensitization campaign was greeted with lots of ecstasy by the people of these areas.
The Second Deputy Mayor of Alou, Richard Njebeleh, who represented the Sub-divisional Officer of Alou during the launching ceremony, appreciated the effort of ERuDeF in conserving wildlife in the Lebialem Highlands pledging his support to her projects.
“I want to encourage ERuDeF to do everything within her power to bring back the natural environment as it use to be and a forest like the PTHWS which has some of the most endangered wildlife species should be jealously protected,” the Deputy Mayor said.
A G.S Fosimondi teacher, Cecila Ntemngwa, lauded ERuDeF’s approach to conservation, which above all, begins by educating both “young and the old on the importance of conservation”.
She said the approach guarantees both short term and long term conservation of the forest and the environment “for instance, if the pupils and students start knowing from infancy that it is good to conserve the environment, it will stick in their minds and as time goes on, and as they grow, they will know more about it and even educate their parents.”
Meanwhile, other students and pupils joined Ajong Marina of G.S.S. M’mouckbie, Limah Dickson of G.H.S M’muock, and Asongmessi Fabiola of G. S Ndung-Nwangong expressed gratitude to ERuDeF for organising such a thrilling and enlightening campaign.
They promised to transmit what they have learned to the nooks and crannies of their communities.
Different village notables like Ndi Nkemcha Charles and Ndi Nkemcha Lefie of M’mockbie Fondom, Zabze Clifford of the Fossimondi Fondom and Simon Nkemnkem of Nwangong, all threw their weight behind ERuDeF in conservation, asking for many more sensitization campaigns in their respective villages.