Examining the Strengths of the Nigerian National Biodiversity Action Plan and Environmental Policy in Addressing the Challenges of the Covid 19 Pandemic: the Perspective of Aquatic Ecologists

Abstract

Background: The  biological resources of Nigeria are under increasing threat from natural disasters and human activities especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are  ominous problems with the environment and visible scars associated with the destruction of the natural resources upon which all life depends. Although, Nigeria's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) was put in place to address these critical sectors however, the challenges have been with the implementation. This perceived difficulty creates an unending vacuum between the policy guidelines and implementation, especially in emergencies like the outbreak of the coronavirus. A novel disease, SARS-CoV-2 (formerly 2019 nCoV, isolated on 7th January, 2020) came to light, causing a contagious respiratory disease, and named coronavirus disease 2019, on 11th February, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a viral pneumonia with symptoms such as dry cough, fever, sore throat, dyspnea, body pain, and diarrhoea. This disease emerged in December, 2019 in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, and within three months, had spread globally, prompting WHO to declare it a threat to world health. Objective: This review examined the strengths of the Nigerian National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, given the bottlenecks associated with the implementation of the provisions of these policies. Methods: The instrument of  the literature review was employed in the study. Results: The pandemic has provided empirical evidence, to determining alternative and complementary activities, that can be deployed to  mitigating socio-economic losses due to COVID-19, while ensuring the sustainability of aquatic ecosystem.

Keywords: Nigerian Environmental Policy, Biodiversity Action Plan, COVID-19 Pandemic, Aquatic Ecosystem