Malanje — The active participation of citizens in the defence of the environment, with the adoption of conscious and exemplary behaviour in relation to reducing the damage caused to the environment, was defended on Tuesday in Malanje Province by the minister of the Environment, Ana Paula de Carvalho.
Speaking in the opening of a seminar on Environmental Education, the minister said it is still indispensable the involvement of provincial governments, educational institutions, churchers and population in general to present solutions with the aim of improving environmental conditions.
Despite efforts to reduce environmental degradation and restore ecosystems, he acknowledged that environmental issues continue to represent a challenge at both global and national level, which requires raising awareness among citizens to change their behaviour.
He said that it was on this basis that the country approved the National Environmental Education Strategy in 2022, an instrument that aims to create an environment that produces values orientated towards sustainability and encourages the population to raise awareness and support initiatives to safeguard the environment.
Regarding the seminar, the minister said that it served to reinforce the mechanisms for dialogue, sharing methodologies and ongoing programmes aimed at strengthening the capacity of the various social actors to promote environmental education.
For his part, the vice-governor of Malanje for the Political, Economic and Social sector, Franco Mufinda, pointed to the indiscriminate cutting down of trees, anarchic burning, poaching, diamond mining and the disposal of hazardous waste in inappropriate places as the most common environmental crimes in the province.
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He highlighted that the effects from the climate change are evident worldwide resulting in the heatwaves, droughts, floods and an increase in tropical diseases, factors that require the urgent adoption of mitigation strategies, especially in the most vulnerable communities.
Franco Mufinda believes that strengthening climate resilience is indispensable for diversifying the country's economy and reducing cases of tropical diseases and the deaths that result from them.
The event brought together magistrates and public prosecutors, members of the govern, defence and security bodies as well as youth and environmental defence associations.
The seminar will assess topics such as Environmental Education in Malanje: challenges and perspectives, Environmental Education in Angola: concepts and methodologies, Environmental Education for Sanitation, Strengthening Environmental Education through Environmental Activists and Workshops and Implementation Actions for Malanje's Voluntary Environmental Agents.
