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Explore the effects of human activities on the mangrove ecosystem in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Discover how population growth, economic development, and industrialization are threatening biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability.
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Human Density,Industrialisation & Economic growth in the Niger Delta,Nigeria:An Assessment of their Impact on the Mangrove Swamp Forest. Dr. Prince,Chinedu Mmom REM,MNES,MANG,IAIA Department of Geography & Environmental Management, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. E-mail: pcmmom@yahoo.com Mobile:+23408033389632
There is no gainsaying the fact that the world has witnessed tremendous growth in her human population in recent times. Similarly, human interactions with ecosphere from the beginning of time have significantly altered the natural environment for good and for woes. In fact, Dubos (1980) has noted that the wooing of earth has turned out to be both sweet and sour. While on the one hand, it is believed that human population can bring about improvement in nature as well as the knowledge that can mitigate or correct environmental damages through deliberate social actions. Introduction:
On the other hand, Human interaction has increased the propensity to despoilate the environment, especially the fear that nature’s mechanism of recovery may eventually fail to cope with the increasing use and misuse of resources and energy. The dynamics of human population, growing economic and other industrial activities as well as the quest for economic growth could be cited as key factors in the threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem generally. Cont’d
Cont’d. • The growth and expansion of human population has long displaced other species thereby leading to their extinction (Mckee,et’al,2003). • Although Forester and Machlis (1996) have found no significant correlation between biodiversity loss and national population growth, recent researchers (Kerr & Currie,1995,Thompson and Jones,1999,Mckee,et’al,2003) have shown or established a close relationship between human dynamics and ecosystems threat
The Niger Delta • The Niger Delta is described as a unique ecological zone by virtue of its size and geophysical configuration (Mmom, 2003). It is one of the world’s largest wetlands covering an area of approximately 70,000km2. Located in the south-south geopolitical region of Nigeria. It lies between latitude 40 and 60 north of the equator and longitude 50 and 70 East of Greenwich.
Cont’d • The Delta could be described as a prism that was formed by the accumulation of sedimentary deposits transported by rivers Niger and Benue. Within the flood plains, the river splits into six major tidal channels and innumerable smaller outlets. Fluvial sediments are deposited throughout the Delta with sand and silt suspension during both high and low flood regimes. The region experiences very high annual rainfall ranging between 3000m to 4500mm with double maxima characteristics of July and September peaks.
Cont’d. • In terms of socio-economic development, the region could be described as being a “rich region with poor people”. It is blessed with abundant Crude Oil and Natural Gas which is the main stay of Nigeria’s economy. Apart from crude oil and natural gas, the mangroves offer a lot of biological resources on which the rural livelihood depend. The region is poorly drained with development difficulties. The Niger Delta with a population over 10 million people is one of the industrial and commercial hubs of Nigeria. It holds over 5,000 industrial establishments, it is the home of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industries. It is a commercial nexus in Nigeria because of its coastal location. In fact, it is witnessing rapid economic growth and lesser development. It contributes over 85% to Nigeria's GDP and over 87% to her budgetary expenses.
The problem • The mangrove forest of the Nigeria is the third largest in the world and the largest in Africa, covering approximately 10,500 km2, forming 5.8% of the world’s total and about 1% of Nigeria’s total land area (World Bank, 1995, Holzlohner and Nwosu, 2002). The mangrove forest of the Niger Delta Nigeria holds a lot of inherent and potential resources for the local as well as the regional economy. • In fact, the mangrove has traditionally been the major source of rural livelihood. It has been a source of local fuel, provide materials for boat carving, fish traps, paper and pulp and scaffold poles.
It is also being used for construction such as stabilization and protection of shorelines, fishing platforms, filtering and trapping of water borne pollutants, provision of nursery and breeding grounds for numerous species of fish, prawns, crab and other sea foods, wide life sanctuary to mention but a few. • However, in spite these all important roles of the mangrove in life sustenance, in recent times, the mangrove forests of the Niger Delta have witnessed and is witnessing massive destruction and severe threat of extinction. This situation owing to the growing human population density and other unwanton destruction due to growing human enterprises (quest for economic growth and industrial activities).
It is therefore feared that if no concerted effort is made to stemming out this unwanton exploitation of this biological resource of the region, in the near future, the mangroves may entirely be lost or reduced to small fragments. Thus, hence the sustenance of the mangrove has serious implications for sustainability of rural livelihood in the Niger Delta, efforts must be made to protect and conserve the mangrove forest for sustainable development in rural Nigeria. • Against this backdrop, this paper assesses the rate of loss of the mangrove associated with various human and industrial activities and proffers a strategy for management of the mangrove for sustainable development in the region.
Table 1:Population growth trend in the selected five(5) states of the Niger Delta.
Table 2:Percentage distribution of the various Land uses in theArea.
Table 3: Percentage Contribution of the various Human Economic/Industrial Activities to Mangrove depletion in the Niger Delta.
Discussion of findings • . From the findings of the rate of population growth in the region, resource crisis is eminent. As the population of the region increases the more the demand for these biological resources. Excessive logging to meet the demands of the teeming population has been a serious threat to the mangrove. In the urbanized areas, because of the pressure on the existing land space, the mangrove swamps are serious being reclaimed for the provision of housing and other social infrastructure. This is the case of Port Harcourt city, Warri, Buguma, Yenagoa, to mention but a few, where over 30,00 km2 the mangrove swamps have been reclaimed in the past five years.
Also, it is pertinent to note that apart from logging and land reclamation, industrial activities have been a serious bane on the survival of the mangrove. The world bank in 1995 estimated that over 20% of the Niger Delta mangrove have been lost due to deforestation arising from oil and gas exploration and yet a greater percentage of loss due to oil spillage( drilling and transportation). Oil exploration and exploitation involves large expanse of land for the flow stations and other installations as well as pipelines for the movement of the oil. In fact, on the whole, Oil and Gas mining contribute to about 30% of the loss of mangroves in the Niger Delta. Woluchem (2006) observed that over, 1,728km2 of the mangrove was destroyed due to the laying of oil pipelines from Soku-Bonny in Rivers State. This is just but one out of the numerous oil pipelines that Criss-Cross the Niger Delta mangroves.
Plate 4:Mass deforestation for Oil and Gas pipelines/Power transmission lines.
Apart from oil and gas, other industrial activities such as the telecommunication and electric power transmission lines, fertilizer and petrochemical plants among others have immensely contributed to mangrove depletion in the Niger Delta. • Evasive plant species such as the Nypa palm (Nypa Frutician) have endangered the survival of the mangrove. The plant which was introduced into the Delta from Singapore in 1906 as a valuable crop has turned out to be a torn in the flesh. It is rapidly killing all the mangroves, reducing the fishes in the sea, migration of useful animals, fish and birds which live in the mangrove forest. In fact, many plants which are of medicinal and pharmaceutical values are being threatened with extinction (Ukoima, 2001)
Conclusion. • On the premise of the discoveries of this study, it is concluded that the mangroves and their associated resources are under severe stress of extinction. In other words, there is rapid erosion of the mangrove forest and its resources at a rate greater that its regeneration. The growing human populations, quest for economic development through rapid industrialization are great factors to mangrove resource depletion in the Niger Delta. However, a part from these factors, the evasion of the mangrove swamp by Nypa Palm (NYPA Fruticians) is yet another factor of mangrove resource depletion. Generally there is loss of the mangroves at the rate of 5.8% annually. • Therefore, it has become obvious that if nothing is done to curtail the evasion of the Nypa palm and the unwanton destruction of the mangrove by these human economic and industrial activities, then the future survival of the mangrove and sustenance of rural livelihood is already bleak.
Recommendations • The author therefore recommends serious re-vegetation of the mangrove. Government, non-governmental Agencies and other corporate bodies should engage in this exercise to ensure its success. The Rhizophora seedlings are known to establish faster as such success can be guaranteed. • There is also the need to exterminate the NYPA Palm from the creeks and swamps through joint efforts of the government and non-government agencies. This should be done biologically or through the use of environmentally friendly chemicals to avoid chemical pollution of the water bodies.
Acknowledgement • The author wishes to express his in-depth appreciation to the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) & Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) for this wonderful educational opportunity. • Thank you.
