The Lagos Free Zone Company (LFZC) is partnering the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to protect and conserve sea turtles around its operational area.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Oladapo Soneye, Communications Manager, NCF, on Monday, December 19, 2022, in Lagos.
The LFZC is a free trade zone developer and management company responsible for the Lagos Free Zone.
LFZC, with an operational area of over 800 hectares and nine designated industrial zones, is determined to support the ecosystem to mitigate the impact of human activities.
The statement said that the partnership was part of the LFZC’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
“To implement this project, LFZC is collaborating with the NCF, the foremost conservation organisation in Nigeria with over 40 years of conservation experience and a national footprint in ecosystem conservation.
“Lagos Free Zone Company is located at Ibeju Lekki in Lagos State.
“Parts of its environs, particularly the shoreline adjoining the sea, have been identified as important sites for sea turtles most of which are endangered.
“The project is aimed at educating and raising awareness both within and beyond the surrounding communities.
“Sea turtles are threatened due to being susceptible as by-catch by fishermen.
“They also nest on the seashore, this makes their eggs vulnerable as they are often harvested by locals and consumed as food,” the statement said
According to the statement, the accumulated vulnerability of sea turtles is part of the reasons for its global decline, thus the need to conserve them.
It added said that the collaboration was part of the NCF’s Strategic Action Pillar 2021-2025, Pillar 2 – Saving Species in Peril.
The statement listed some of the objectives of the pillar as to protect and recover indigenously imperilled and other significant species in all ecosystem types and critical habitats of Nigeria.
Others are: “To expand options for rural outreach strategies, livelihood schemes and grassroot coordination in support of in-situ wildlife conservation across support zone communities of critical habitats.”
It added that sea turtle is among the NCF’s focal species determined to rescue.
Others included pangolin, African forest elephant, Nigerian-Cameroon chimpanzee, vultures and Cross River gorilla, among others.
By Fabian Ekeruche
