The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC Joint Venture) and the Bayelsa State Government inaugurated the Gbaran Biodiversity Action Plan (Gbaran BAP), last week, in which more than 150 people from Taylor Creek Forest Reserve communities were trained in alternative livelihood skills to reduce exploitation of resources at the forest.
The trainees acquired skills in aquaculture, bee keeping, goat rearing, snail and cassava/plantain farming and grasscutter technology and were given packs to start their businesses.
“SPDC is well placed to contribute to the protection of Taylor Creek Forest reserve having successfully implemented similar programmes at Gele-Gele and Urhonigbe forest reserves in Edo State,” said SPDC Director and Head, Corporate Relations, Igo Weli, in a speech delivered in Yenagoa by Corporate Relations Manager West, Amechi Ucheoma.
“With the support of our joint venture partners – NNPC Limited, TotalEnergies and Nigeria Agip Oil Company – we have decided to embark on the latest biodiversity action plan to continue to support the government and people of Bayelsa State in order to maintain the balance of nature at Taylor Creek,” added Weli.
Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment, Ebi Ben-Ololo, commended SPDC Joint Venture for its commitment to the action plan.
He said: “The state government is interested in the success of the project and is ready to provide support. Strict laws would be enforced against illegal logging and this discipline will provide sanity on the environment, the earth, and Bayelsa State with sustainability.”
He warned the trainees against selling their starter packs, adding: “Together, let us forge ahead with determination and resolve, united in our mission to protect and nurture the rich biodiversity of our land. May our collective efforts yield fruitful results and serve as a beacon of hope for a greener and more sustainable future.”
SPDC Joint Venture commenced the Gbaran Ubie Biodiversity Action Plan in 2016 with consultations involving community representatives, regulatory agencies, subject matter experts and non-governmental ogranisations (NGOs). Implementation of the plan began in 2019 and included training of forest guards and nominees from Okordia and Biseni clans on alternative livelihoods skills and planting of trees. The implementation strategy was revised in 2023 as Gbaran BAP Expansion, which saw a refresher programme for the 151 trainees to sustain the reforestation initiative.
Biodiversity Action Plans are based on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 and aim at protecting and restoring biological systems, especially threatened species and habitats. SPDC says it has been working closely with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to protect areas such as nature reserves, wilderness areas and habitats for certain species in the Niger Delta.