The Niger Delta wetlands: threats to ecosystem services, their importance to dependent communities and possible management measures

Figures & data

Figure 1. Nigeria and the Niger Delta states (indicated with grey shade) Source: Idemudia and Ite (2006).

Table 1. Major ecosystem services provided by or derived from Niger Delta wetlands

General ecosystem servicesa^a	Niger Delta ecosystem services^b
Provisioning
• Food	• Timber products: saw logs, transmission poles, bamboo, building poles, fuelwood and chewing sticks (World Bank 1995; NDDC 2006; Alogoa 2005; McGinley 2008)
• Fresh water	• Agricultural and tree crops: cassava, yam, cocoyam, rice, maize, ogbono, cocoa, etc. (World Bank 1995; Umoh 2008; Omofonmwan and Odia 2009)
• Fibre and fuel	• Fish and other aquatic food such as barnacles, crabs and other invertebrates (Nwadiaro 1984; Fentiman 1996; Davies et al. 2009)
• Biochemical	• Aquatic insects (Arimoro and Ikomi 2009)
• Genetic materials	• Medicinal species (Ndukwu and Ben-Nwadibia (2005)
• Other products	• Bush meat (Luiselli 2003; Luiselli et al. 2006)
	• Other products including raffia, snail, spices, mangrove salts, reeds and sedge (World Bank 1995; UNDP 2006)
Regulating
• Climate regulation	• Provides a good sink for greenhouse gases of CO2 and CH4 (Brooks et al. 2000)
• Water regulation (hydrological flows)	• Provides buffer against natural disaster including coastal erosion and regulates flood (Cugusi and Piccarozzi 2009; Sanford 2009)
• Water purification and waste treatment	• Regulates water movement, quality and volume (Abam 2001; Uluocha and Okeke 2004)
• Erosion regulation	• Habitat for pollinators (Dupont et al. 2000)
• Natural hazard regulation	• Natural attenuation (Benka-Coker and Ekundayo 1995; Abu and Dike 2008)
• Pollination
• Salinity control
Cultural
• Spiritual and inspirational	• Source of spiritual inspiration (Isichei 1982)
• Recreational and tourism	• Site for fishing festivals (Jonathan 2006)
• Aesthetic	• Spiritual and sacred sites (Anderson and Peek 2002; Bisina 2006)
• Educational	• Vast biodiversity (indicative of tourism) (World Bank 1995; Ebeku 2004)
Supporting
• Soil formation	• Supports delta's biodiversity (Ejechi 2003)
• Nutrient cycling	• Soils support nitrogen mineralisation (Iwegbue et al. 2006)
	• Supports transportation (inland ports) that link places (Wolf et al. 2002; NDDC 2006; Egbagbe 2009)
Notes: ^aBased on MEA (2005).
^bSome Niger Delta wetlands ecosystem services, such as sacred sites, are little known and subject to ongoing research.

Table 2. Pressures and impacts on the Niger Delta wetlands

Pressure	Major service at risk/impact	Source
Aquaculture	Loss of mangrove with its rich biodiversity and attendant impact on livelihoods	Davies et al. (2009), Zabbey et al. (2010)
Oil exploration and exploitation activities	Narcotic effects and mortality of fish and other faunal organisms/dynamite shooting causes increases in turbidity, blockage of filter feeding apparatuses in benthic (bottom dwelling) fauna and reduction of plant photosynthetic activity due to reduced light penetration.	Ekundayo and Fodeke (2000), Uluocha and Okeke (2004), Twumasi and Merem (2006), James et al. (2007), Uyigue and Agbo (2007), Obot (2007), Ugochukwu and Ertel (2008), Watts (2008), Luiselli (2009), Phil-Eze and Okoro (2009), Zabbey et al. (2010)
Dredging	Direct burial and destruction of fringing mangroves and associated fauna/changing topography and hydrology/increased erosion and siltation/excessive flooding and ponding of the backswamp/estuarine acidification and heavy metal pollution/succession to freshwater vegetation	Ohimain et al. (2004), Rim-Rukeh et al. (2007), James et al. (2007)
Invasive plants (Nypa palm)	Decrease in genetic diversity through loss of genetically distinct populations and hybridisation with native species	James et al. (2007), Phil-Eze and Okoro (2009), Zabbey et al. (2010)
Damming activities	Top of form reduction in water flow and sediment	Abam (1999), Uluocha and Okeke (2004)
Human activities (such as deforestation unsustainable hunting, overfishing, logging)	Loss of flora and fauna	Luiselli (2003), Luiselli et al. (2006), Phil-Eze and Okoro (2009)
Wetland reclamation (agricultural and urbanisation)	Loss of flora and fauna	Wolf et al. (2002), Twumasi and Merem (2006), James et al. (2007), Phil-Eze and Okoro (2009)
Climate change	Sea-level rise, flooding, loss of lives and properties	Uyigue and Agbo (2007)
Other industrial and domestic effluents	Soil and water pollution	Ugochukwu and Ertel (2008)
Indiscriminate use of fertiliser	Water pollution	Obire et al. (2008)

Figure 2. Niger Delta ecosystem services within the DPSIR framework (indicating significant links). Note: Absence of a link does not imply no influence, only that linkage is weak at best. Some links are not shown but assumed. For example, supporting services are linked to other ecosystem services as it underpins their province; it is possible that rising demand for oil drives government polices and weakens institutions; freedom of choice and action also depends on the other four constituents of human well-being.

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