The Ogun State Commissioner for Forestry, Engr. Taiwo Oludotun, has officially declared opened the Collect Earth and Mapathon Data Collection Training, classifying the programme as a vital step towards strengthening data-driven forest control and biodiversity conservation in Nigeria.
The training organised under the FAO-GEF7 Biodiversity project, brought together, representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, officials from the Federal and States Governments, Ogun state project implementation Units, development partners, resource persons and participants from stakeholders organisations.
Speaking, during the opening ceremony, Engr. Oludotun commended the FAO and the Global Environmental Facility for their continued technical and financial support for biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management.
He noted that the FAO-GEF7 Biodiversity Project had demonstrated the value of partnerships, capacity development and the application of global best practices adapted to local conditions.
The Commissioner applauded the NPIU and SPIU for their coordination and professionalism in organising the training, stated that their efforts reflected effective collaboration between National and State institutions in environmental management.
Oludotun said, forest resources provide critical ecosystem services, support livelihoods and contribute to climate regulations, soil conservation and water management. He added that these resources were increasingly threatened by illegal logging, encroachment, unsustainable land-use practices and the impact of climate change.
He therefore stressed that reliable and timely data were essential for addressing these challenges, noting that tools such as Collect Earth and Mapathon would enable more accurate monitoring of land-use changes and forest conditions through geospatial technology, satellite imagery and participatory data collection methods.
Describing the training as a strategic investment in human capacity that would benefit the participants in practical skills in data collection, interpretation and validation, urging them to leverage on the expertise of the facilitators while ensuring that knowledge that would be acquired would be effectively used within their respective organisations.
In his remarks, the Chief Technical Advisor for the GEF7 Biodiversity Project, Professor Segun Oladoye, described the Global Environmental Facility (GEF7) as an institution that specialised in supporting, financing environmental and livelihood initiatives.
Participants, drawn across States of the federation spoke about the benefits that would be gained. Among such, a participant from Edo State Forest Commission, Titilayo Omogie and an officer from Delta state Ministry of Environment, Johnson Mafiejor, jointly spoke extensively about the training’s benefits. They expressed their appreciation to the organisers for the valuable initiative.
