The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sought closer collaboration with the Taraba State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) State Project Management Unit (SPMU) to strengthen environmental protection, climate resilience and sustainable development across the state.

The call was made during a courtesy visit by the Taraba State Coordinator of NESREA, Mr. John Twasshue, to the ACReSAL Conference Hall in Jalingo, where both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to working together to address environmental challenges through coordinated action.

Speaking during the visit, Mr. Twasshue said NESREA, established in 2007 by an Act of the National Assembly during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, has operated in Taraba State since 2017 with the mandate of enforcing environmental laws, regulations, standards, policies and guidelines.

He explained that the agency also regulates activities and technologies that pose risks to environmental quality while implementing international environmental conventions, treaties and protocols to which Nigeria is a signatory.

According to him, several of the agency’s regulations, including those on ozone layer protection and air quality, are domesticated from international environmental instruments.

Mr. Twasshue said the visit was aimed at fostering a stronger working relationship with ACReSAL to enhance environmental governance in the state.

“We are here to see how we can work together and complement the good work ACReSAL is doing in Taraba State. We seek your support and hope to be carried along in relevant activities. Environmental law enforcement is about protecting the environment, and through collaboration and data sharing, we can achieve greater results,” he said.

Responding, the Taraba ACReSAL State Project Coordinator, Dr. Yakubu Giwa Clement, welcomed the delegation and assured NESREA of the project’s readiness to establish a productive partnership.

Dr. Clement said ACReSAL remains widely misunderstood by many people who perceive it primarily as a funding initiative, explaining that the project is a multi-sectoral intervention covering the environment, water resources and agriculture.

He noted that the project’s core mandate includes environmental restoration, watershed management, climate resilience, capacity building and emergency response aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change.

The project coordinator disclosed that ACReSAL has completed interventions in three micro-catchments across the state and is expanding its activities to ten additional catchments, stressing that effective watershed management and environmental conservation are critical to tackling environmental degradation and protecting natural.