By
Millicent
Ele,
Environmental and
Public Health Law Consultant,
Lecturer, Faculty
of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.
In 1972, the United Nations General
Assembly designated 5th June as the World Environment Day - a day
set aside to raise global awareness about environmental issues and to take positive action to
protect the natural environment and the planet Earth. It was celebrated for the
first time in 1974 under the slogan “Only One Earth” and the global celebration
started rotating from country to country in 1988. In 2016, it was hosted in
Africa by Angola under the theme “Fight against the illegal Trade in Wildlife.”
This drew attention to Africa’s magnificent wildlife now under serious threat
due to overexploitation, poaching and habitat destruction. Millions of people, organizations,
schools, corporate bodies and governments have taken part over the years in the
celebration of World Environment Day – thus helping to create awareness and
drive change in national and international environmental policy.
Canada
is the host nation for the World Environment Day 2017 with the theme
“Connecting People to Nature.” This calls on us to get outdoors and find fun
and exciting ways to experience and enjoy nature, to think about how we are
part of nature and how intimately we depend on it, to appreciate its beauty and
importance and to take positive action to protect the environment. In the spirit of this year's theme,
Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna
encourages all Canadians to explore the country's beautiful natural areas,
including the national parks and open spaces, nature reserves and wildlife
areas, marine sanctuaries and migratory bird refuges, etc. With a population of
about 36 million people, 81% of which live in the cities, successive Canadian
governments have always placed premium on parks and open spaces because of
their environmental and health benefits. In the light of this, Canada has made
this year’s World Environment Day a major part of its 150th birthday
celebrations and has offered its citizens free access to Canada’s 46 national
parks, all through 2017. This is expected to yield positive result because
research has shown that the passion to connect with nature is lit and sustained
once people
make the initial minimal move to so connect.
Nigeria
is to join the global celebration of World Environment Day on the 5th
of June 2017. But the question is – how many Nigerians will take the time out
to connect with nature; to visit parks and open spaces to observe and
experience other living things in their natural habitat; to hike or just to sit
and relax in the park listening to the birds sing, taking in fresh air from the
trees and fragrance from flowers. A more pertinent and perhaps disturbing
question however, is whether Nigerians, especially city dwellers, who want to
visit a park have a park to visit. Taking Enugu where I live and work as a
point of reference, the trend for the past couple of decades is to re-designate
parks and open spaces for other uses. For instance, the present location for
Shoprite was formally Polo Park; Ekulu East Estate (commonly called Zoo Estate)
was formally Enugu Zoo while Liberty Estate was formally an open wooded area
used by the Enugu Rangers Football Club for their practice but which could have
been converted into a beautiful park. Also neighbourhood open spaces where kids
play have vastly been subdivided and built up throughout the coal city. In
fact, it will not be wrong to say that there is an open war on nature in Enugu
metropolis because the rate at which the government indiscriminately clear
wooded areas and subdivide them for buildings and estates in Enugu is alarming.
This is very sad because of the huge environmental implications on the
ecosystem and human health. Indeed, a look at Okpara Square at pre-down every
day with lots of people jogging and exercising will show you how much need
people have for at least mini open spaces in their neighbourhoods.
Parks
and open spaces are essential because they boost regular physical
activities
which in
turn improves human health and fitness by reducing the risk of heart disease,
hypertension, obesity and diabetes etc.; they improve psychological, emotional
and mental health through reduction in stress, and symptoms of depression and
anxiety; park trees produce oxygen, offer refuge to species, and
help to counter climate change, pollution, deforestation, species extinction and erosion of
biodiversity; they act as natural air conditioners that help to keep cities cooler and
stimulate recreation. Parks are also important quality of
life index that increases the value of neighbouring residential
properties.
With
all the above advantages, one wonders why any government that has the interest
of its citizens at heart will routinely re-designate parks and open spaces for
other uses. The amazing thing is that the attack on parks in Enugu metropolis
is ubiquitous - affecting all neighbourhoods, low, middle and upscale
neighbourhoods. For instance, in the case of the Zoo Estate, it is bad enough
that the phased out zoo was replaced with an estate instead of a park but to
worsen the situation, all the four areas designated for public parks and open
spaces in the original plan for that estate have now been subdivided for
private residential purposes. What is incomprehensible is that the rich
residents are generally not bothered or at least not sufficiently interested to
raise their voice in protest. Luckily a lone exception has been found in one
resident whose property was particularly affected by this act and who has taken
the state to court. His case is simply that by re-designating the parks for
private residential purposes, the government has drastically changed the
characteristic of that neighbourhood with the result that the property he
bought overlooking one park and adjacent to another is no longer the property
he now has. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this case and the
attitude of the court to the impunity with which the government is
short-changing the residents out of their parks and open spaces.
The above notwithstanding, Nigerians are encouraged to step out and join
the global community in celebrating the World Environment Day and to make
individual or corporate effort to improve the environment.
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