The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited (FIRST E&P) Joint Venture, in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), have announced the launch of the ALEC Initiative (Afforestation, Livelihood Enhancement, and Carbon Sequestration).
The initiative, seen as a decisive move towards environmental sustainability and community empowerment, will work to combat critical issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change in 11 littoral communities of Bayelsa State while simultaneously enhancing the socio-economic well-being of the local population.
In Nigeria, the situation calls for immediate action, with an estimated 70-80 per cent of the nation’s original forests already lost to unsustainable logging and agricultural expansion, as reported by Global Forest Watch and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Moreover, Nigeria harbours 309 species that are currently listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.