The largest mangrove forest in Africa is located in Nigeria, with a significant portion situated in the Niger Delta region. These ecosystems are vital for biodiversity and serve as a crucial carbon sink, with an estimated capacity to store more than 1,100Mt CO2e, making it an important buffer against climate change. Mangroves also play a critical role in local economies and support regional food security. Mangroves serve as a means of protection from the impacts of climate change by providing flood defence and reducing coastal erosion. According to the World Bank, the economic benefit of mangroves in Nigeria is estimated at US$4,700 per hectare per year.
However, despite their importance, Nigerian mangroves continue to experience uncontrolled loss and degradation. They face threats from unsustainable harvesting of fuelwood as a consequence of energy poverty and deprivation, oil and plastic pollution, urban and agricultural expansion, and invasive species such as the nipa palm. Currently, they are among the world’s least protected mangrove forests, with only 6% under protected status. The loss and degradation of mangroves further exacerbate poverty through damage to livelihoods, which traditionally depend on fishing, aquaculture and agriculture.
Responding to these concerns, Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organised a conference on the 18th of July 2024 to facilitate crucial dialogues between policymakers, regulators, researchers, civil society organizations, mangrove experts and international partners on the challenges and opportunities facing Nigeria’s mangroves. A keynote address by Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako, Honorable Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment, stressed the priority placed by the Federal Government on mangrove conservation and restoration.
The discussions explored the remarkable potential of mangroves in mitigating climate crisis and improving livelihoods and biodiversity and led to the establishment of a stakeholder network – the Friends of Nigeria’s Mangroves Coordination Group – to catalyse strategic actions to tackle the problem.
Stakeholders explored the drivers of mangrove degradation and current knowledge gaps; the need to learn from, scale up and expand existing mangrove protection and restoration initiatives, including through viable community-led models; the value of mangrove-focused policy development at the Federal and State-levels to support implementation of goals set under Nigeria’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the Climate Change Act (2021), among others; and the need for additional funding for mangrove protection and restoration from both public and private sources.
Speaking at the event, SDN’s country director, Florence Kayemba Ibok Abasi said:
Through these initiatives, we will jointly promote sustainable developmental actions that not only conserve mangroves but also support the livelihoods dependent on them. All concerned stakeholders, international communities and diplomatic missions are encouraged to be part of and support this collaboration and contribute to mangrove protection and restoration and a cleaner, safer and more productive environment for all.
USAID/Nigeria Mission Director Melissa A. Jones said,
Let us not forget that at the center of conservation are the people who live in and interact with these mangrove forests. Let us empower them with the knowledge and tools to manage resources sustainably, ensuring conservation efforts are not only effective, but equitable and inclusive.
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