Niger Delta Summit Unveils Mangrove Restoration Project For Three Coastal Communities

The Niger Delta Blue Economy Investment Summit has unveiled plans to plant 18,000 mangrove seedlings in three coastal communities as part of efforts to combat environmental degradation and strengthen coastal resilience in the region.

The project, which will be piloted in Burutu, Bodo and Bakassi communities, will involve collaboration with community groups and civil society organisations.

Co-convener of the summit, Dr Uche Igwe, disclosed this in a telephone conversation with journalists in Calabar, Cross River State.

Igwe said the initiative was designed to promote community-based alternative livelihoods, restore degraded ecosystems and strengthen the resilience of coastal communities affected by environmental challenges.

He explained that the summit had conducted needs assessments in selected communities to identify infrastructure and livelihood gaps and determine priority interventions.

According to him, coastal erosion, flooding and oil spills have exposed several Niger Delta communities to environmental hazards, while the destruction of mangrove ecosystems has further worsened their vulnerability.

He said, “As part of our summit preparations, we conduct needs assessment across select communities in the Niger Delta to understand their priorities, identify gaps in infrastructure and livelihoods, and propose targeted interventions.

“Mangroves are powerful carbon sinks, helping to absorb carbon dioxide and mitigate climate change. Today, the mangrove ecosystem in the region, one of the largest in Africa, is steadily retreating.

“An estimated 37 percent of these mangroves were lost between 1986 and 2007. It is estimated that the mangrove ecosystem is retreating landward at an average rate of over 13 metres per year due to pollution and urban expansion.

“These losses accelerate erosion because these mangroves naturally absorb wave energy and stabilise shorelines.”

The summit co-convener said recurrent flooding had also forced residents of several coastal communities to relocate inland, where competition for land and other resources sometimes triggered conflicts.

He said the initiative would work directly with affected communities to deploy nature-based solutions to environmental degradation and economic hardship.

“We want to work directly with these communities, using nature-based solutions to reverse the cycle of environmental degradation and socio-economic impoverishment.

“We will work with displaced communities whose livelihoods have been disrupted to ensure that restoration and job creation programmes are implemented.

“Burutu, Bodo and Bakassi communities have been chosen in the first phase. Our hope is to scale up as far as resources will permit us,” he said.

The second edition of the annual Niger Delta Blue Economy Investment Summit is scheduled to hold from April 18 to 20, 2027, at Movela Hotels, Warri, Delta State.

Traditional rulers, community representatives and civil society organisations are expected to participate in the event.