By Grace Q. Bryant
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has commenced a three-day training in Gbarnga, Bong County on Biodiversity Reporting for journalists.
The training organized through the Energy & Environment Units in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UNDP Country Support Program is being held on the theme; ‘Enhancing Capacity of Local Journalists to Report Biodiversity: Environmental stories for improved Biodiversity environmental awareness and protection.’
About 54 participants representing several media institutions in Monsterrado and Bong Counties are in attendance at the technical training workshop which is highly considering a gender balance.
The technical training workshop seeks to provide journalists who are information and education providers to stakeholders like farmers, mining companies, mining agents, line ministries including policy maker the needed information about how the environment and biodiversity are managed in sustainable a manner.
The workshop is in fulfillment of activities contained in the Revised NBSAP of 2017 concerning how human activities are causing the severe degradation and near depletion of biodiversity resources that made Liberia’s regional and global powerhouse of biodiversity resources endemism.
Meanwhile, the EPA is currently working in 10 of the 15 countries in Liberia with assigned environmental inspectors/ focal point while the Energy and Environment Units of the UNDP and the EPA are charged with the responsibilities of supervising all energy and environment projects.
Accordingly, the Energy and Environment Units seek to enhance reduction in vulnerability and improve adaption to climate change through early warning system.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Director of the EPA, Jefferson Yenabo said the world focus now is on the environment then health issues.
Environmentalist Nyanibo furthered that the EPA is constrained with information dissemination so the only way is to team up with journalists to reach its targeted audience while at the same time, the National Focal Point, CBD, J. S Datuama Cammue explained the importance of journalists to every society.
He said the training is intended to learn how to protect environmental issues using the print/ electronic media generally.