Stakeholders in Abuja on Wednesday began a collaboration to discourage the felling of Shea butter trees to enhance the sustainability of livelihoods within communities in the country.
The National Coordinator of the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), Mrs Ibironke Olubamise said during a workshop, that the project supports community environmental initiatives.
The workshop was on the Conservation and Livelihood improvement of women through Shea Tree Value-Chain Development called (SHE(A) MATTERS.
GEP-SGP is a project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Shea Integrated Global Foundation (SIGF), in collaboration with GEF-SGP and supervised by UNDP has successfully executed the (SHE(A) MATTERS project in Arikiya, Nasarawa State.
Olubamise said the project is poised to manage the environment knowing that the community is the first culprit and victims of environmental degradation and so the people have a part to play in the global effort.
“We support any environmental initiative as we also emphasise livelihood. You can’t tell communities to stop cutting trees when you don’t provide alternatives for them.
“Fortunately, in all our years of work, we have discovered that they can continue to harness the resources sustainably so that their livelihood will continue and they will continue to benefit from their environment.
“There is a strong balance between environment and livelihood and GEF is one of the greatest funders of environmental issues in the world,” Olubamise said.
The Co–Founder of SIGF, Mrs Priscilla Nwosu said the project was aimed at supporting livelihoods and commended the GEF-SGP-funded UNDP programme for their support to carry out the project.
Nwosu however solicited more funds to reach out to more communities in the country.
“We have been able to support over 200 homes in the community under the project, with cooking gases as means of alternatives,” she said.
On his part, Ibrahim Arikiya, Madaki Arikiya urged residents to desist from deforestation or be sanctioned with a fine of one goat urging them to sustain the environment by preserving natural resources.
Arikiya became Nigeria’s first internationally certified organic parkland for the collection of Shea in the wild.
The Shea Tree can live about three centuries bearing fruit for 200 years.
