THE Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says the agency has joined the global commitment to ecosystem restoration and the reduction and reversal of environmental degradation.
Speaking on the commemoration of the 2023 World Desertification Day, the director–general of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu , described the benefits of aviation industry-led contributions to ecosystem restoration as a two-way street.
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance celebrated each year on 17 June with the aim of raising awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought.
Speaking on the World Desertification and Drought Day 2023 themed: ‘Her Land, Her Rights’, the NCAA DG explained how airports and aviation infrastructure often occupy large areas of land, disrupting natural habitats and ecosystems.
According to him, by engaging in restoration efforts, the aviation sector can mitigate these negative impacts by restoring and conserving ecosystems, promoting biodiversity, and creating wildlife corridors.
The NCAA chief acknowledged that ecosystem restoration enhances the resilience of ecosystems to climate change, including extreme weather events.
He noted. “This is crucial for airports and airlines, as they are highly vulnerable to disruptions caused by climate change. By investing in ecosystem restoration, the aviation sector can help protect its own infrastructure and operations, ensuring long-term sustainability and resilience.
“The focus of this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought seeks to highlight women’s land rights as a key element of achieving the connected global goals of gender equality and land degradation neutrality by 2030″.
The specific objectives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCDD) under the aegis of this year’s theme include: raising awareness of the disproportionate impact of desertification, land degradation and drought on women and girls and the barriers they face in decision-making on land issues; highlighting women’s contributions to sustainable land management and broader SDGs and mobilizing global support to advance land rights for women and girls around the world.
Equally, the goal of this year’s observance aims to drive a global recognition that investing in women’s equal access to land and associate assets is a direct investment in their future and the future of humanity.
Desertification, land degradation, and drought exert a disproportionate impact on women and girls, exacerbating existing gender inequalities.
Capt Nuhu said: “As primary providers of food, water, and fuel in many communities, women bear the brunt of these environmental challenges. And advancing land rights for women and girls worldwide is crucial for multiple reasons.
“It promotes gender equality, empowering women economically, socially, and politically. Access to land ownership and control enables them to participate in decision-making processes, improve livelihoods, and break cycles of poverty.
“Strengthening women’s land rights enhances food security and sustainable development, as women constitute a significant portion of agricultural laborers. When women have secure land rights, they can invest in farming practices, improve productivity, and contribute to local economies.
“Securing land rights for women fosters social justice, and enables them to protect natural resources and preserve cultural heritage.
“The aviation industry is positioned to make immense contributions to ecosystem restoration efforts due to its global reach, extensive infrastructure, and potential for sustainable practices.
“Actualising the goal to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean by 2030 requires that we leverage every opportunity at our disposal to promote ecosystem resilience. In this common and collective quest to tackle the environmental crisis, the Fly2Green Nigeria Initiative which is a Sustainable Aviation policy action program spearheaded by the NCAA is positioned to boost the contributions of the national and regional aviation sector towards the requisite transformative action to drive environmental sustainability”, the DG added.
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