Niger DeltaNkeonyere Cynthia Ezechukwu

History

Niger delta is located in south Nigeria.the niger delta region spans over 9 states in Nigeria. Abia , Akwa Ibom , Bayelsa , Cross River , Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo  and Cross River.it is a home to the world’s third largest wetland that consists of islands,salt water mashes, mangroves,freshwater swamps,savannas and lowland rainforest. has africa’s largest mangrove forest and a rich biodiversity.it is home to a lot of endemic, endangered and threatened species.it has a semi-hot, humid climate with high temperatures year round and heavy rainfall. it has a lot of fish resources. The area has abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas and gravel and a rich biodiversity. it has 70 protected areas all which have lost great portions of their area which means loss of biodiversity. The resources oil and gas is it’s main source of revenue. the oil was first discovered in 1958.

Human impacts

Today the Niger Delta is one of the most endangered ecosystem and Humans were largely to be blamed for this. large oil companies extract tons of oil and gas from the Niger Delta region.the process of oil extraction is very harmful to the environment. it has a large impact on the condition of the ecosystem and the biodiversity of the area. they methods these companies use lead to oil spills.an estimate of 1.5million tons of oil has spilled in the Niger Delta region during the course of 50years. a lot of this spills have occurred in sensitive habitats for birds,fishes and plenty other wildlife which leads to more loss of biodiversity.The oil companies also practice a method knowing as gas flaring. gas flaring involves the process of burning natural gas which is a product of oil drilling. gas flares are detrimental to the environment and the health of the inhabitants of the area. gas flares contain over 250 toxins  and leads  to loss of crops, plants and animals in areas near by.the pollution damages the  soil and air quality. The delta area is also at risk due to deforestation, not enough farming practices,and alien species invading the area. 

    

What the future holds

if the oil extraction is not under control,the area might become a wasteland. the people would have to evacuate because the oil spills is contaminating the water and causing pollution and the gas flares are endangering the environment. the contaminated  water and atmosphere can actually reduce the people's life span because it is detrimental to their health. the protected areas could lose all its endangered species and in turn lose its rich biodiversity.

How we could improve it

we could promote ways to conserve natural resources to reduce pollution.invent better tanks to prevent oil spills and clean up the oil spills that have already occurred. promote tourism to the area so the inhabitants could benefit from it. the proceeds could be used to provide electricity, clean water and jobs.jobs will make the area to not depend solely on the revenue from oil and gas.Clean water will promote their health therefore they will live longer and electricity just provides a better living environment for the people of the area. overall, the government should  create and enforce laws and that will not improve the environment but laws that will also protect the biodiversity.

                                  References

                                 “Shells Environmental Devastation in Nigeria”.Center for constitutional rights and Earth’s International.Web. 30 Nov.2011<http://wiwavshell.org/shell’>

“Niger Delta named most polluted ecosystem”.Nigerian Conservation Foundation.Web.26 Nov 2011<http://www.ncfnigeria.org/web/inthenews/news_feeds.php?article=21>.

                  
“Oil pollution in Niger Delta:Environmental assessment of ogoniland report;UNEP” Santa Aguila Foundation.Web. 24                              Nov.2011<http://coastalcare.org/2011/08/oil-pollution-in-niger-delta-environmental-assessment-of-ogoniland-report->

        

         “Mend’s resurgence,amnesty,future of Niger Delta” Vanguard Media. Web. 24 Nov 2011<http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/mend>

 "Nigeria-Niger Delta" Global Security.Web.24 Nov 2011<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/nigeria-2.htm>

Nigerian oil” National Geographic Society. Web.25 Nov 2011 <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/02/nigerian-oil/oneill-text>