FG Moves To Restore Mangroves In Niger Delta

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja

The federal government has taken cogent steps towards the restoration of mangrove ecosystems in the Niger Delta region.

A mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows in tropical deltas, estuaries, lagoons or islands that serve as a buffer between marine and terrestrial communities and protect shorelines from damaging winds, waves, and floods.

Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar stated this over the weekend while declaring open an international expert meeting on mangrove restoration, organised by the ministry in Ogoniland, Rivers State, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

With participants drawn from more than 20 different institutions, the meeting is expected to pave the way for the unveiling of a conservation plan towards mangroves restoration.

According to Abubakar, "The meeting is a turning point for the restoration of mangrove ecosystems in Ogoniland. Using the knowledge and experience of the experts, we will be able to restore the mangroves and improve the lives of the Ogoni communities who are affected every day by the devastating pollution.”

He pointed out that mangroves are not only ecologically significant but are critical to the livelihood and food security of communities in Ogoniland, hoping that the restoration would lead to healthy ecosystems and successful remediation of areas impacted by oil in Ogoniland.

The 2011 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conducted by UNEP had revealed extensive damage to mangroves in Ogoniland, even as the pollution varied from extreme stress to total destruction.

In most impacted areas, only the roots of the mangroves remained with no stems or leaves while in other areas, the roots were completely coated in oil; sometimes with 1cm or more thick layer of bituminous substances.

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