By Nformi Desmond
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sought a strategic partnership with the Taraba State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project to strengthen environmental protection and promote sustainable development across the state.
The proposal was made during a courtesy visit by the agency to the ACReSAL State Project Management Unit in Jalingo.
Speaking during the meeting, the Taraba State Coordinator of NESREA, Mr. Oteikwu John, said the agency, established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2007, is responsible for enforcing environmental laws, standards and regulations, while implementing international environmental conventions ratified by Nigeria.
He noted that the visit was aimed at fostering institutional collaboration, information sharing and joint initiatives that would complement ACReSAL's interventions in environmental management.
Responding, the Taraba ACReSAL State Project Coordinator, Dr. Yakubu Giwa Clement, welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the project's commitment to working closely with NESREA.
He explained that ACReSAL is a multi-sectoral intervention covering the environment, agriculture and water resources, with a focus on environmental restoration, watershed management, climate resilience, capacity building and emergency response.
Dr. Clement disclosed that the project has completed interventions in three micro-catchments and is expanding to ten additional sites across the state to address environmental degradation and strengthen ecosystem resilience.
Heads of the Legal, Environmental Safeguards, and Monitoring and Evaluation units of ACReSAL also endorsed the proposed partnership, stressing the need for coordinated environmental governance, effective community engagement through the project's Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), and stronger institutional collaboration.
The meeting ended with both organisations reaffirming their commitment to working together to advance environmental protection, climate resilience and sustainable development in Taraba State.
