Environmental Pollution - A focus on Ogoni Land

The Niger Delta is one of the most populated natural ecosystems in the world with a land area of 7,386 kilometers. It contains the most extensive mangrove ecosystems in Africa, which covers over 22% of the total forest spread with about 20 million people living along its long coastlines. The mangrove forests in the Niger Delta provide a last line of defense for littoral communities, providing numerous goods and ecosystem services to contiguous populations. At least, 60% of commercial fish species in the Gulf of Guinea breed in the mangroves of the Niger Delta.  These mangroves forests sequester an estimated 25.5 million tonnes of free CO2 per year, while providing habitats for a myriad of biodiversity. The region therefore, is critically strategic in the fight against climate change. Over the last 10 years, considerable oil contamination of the land, air, surface and ground water have been reported, with estimates of over 17 million litres of crude oil spilled. These spills have destroyed fishing livelihoods, reduced soil productivity and affected crop quality in fishing and farming areas. Like other regions of the world, the Niger Delta has began to feel the full effects of the constant change in weather patterns caused by climate change, which is mostly fuelled by human activities that contribute to carbon and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

 

 

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