admin | February 14, 2025
News Brief
In Nigeria’s Niger Delta, women are restoring mangrove forests devastated by oil spills and logging. Since 2016, the Lokiaka Community Development Centre has trained 300 women, leading to the planting of 2.6 million mangroves across four Ogoni communities. Glory Basi, a Lokiaka trainee, says the initiative has changed lives. She says, “I can now teach others how to plant mangroves. Because of the mangroves, we have fish, crabs, and periwinkles again.”
In Nigeria’s Niger Delta, women are restoring mangrove forests destroyed by decades of oil spills, logging, and invasive species. Since 2016, the Lokiaka Community Development Centre has trained 300 women in reforestation techniques, resulting in the planting of 2.6 million mangroves in swamps across four Ogoni communities.
The Niger Delta is home to Africa’s largest mangrove forest, but more than 40 square kilometres of these vital ecosystems in Ogoniland have been destroyed by oil pollution. This destruction has devastated livelihoods, particularly for women who depend on fishing and harvesting crustaceans for income. Oil spills have also polluted soil and water, damaging crops and reducing fish stocks.
Martha Agbani, executive director of Lokiaka, says her organization stepped in where the government’s Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project has failed to make progress. She says, “If we wait for the government, nobody will have a livelihood. We depend solely on farming and fishing, but oil spills have destroyed marine life and left many families without income.”
Women volunteers plant mangrove trees using methods suited to local conditions, such as transplanting saplings grown in nurseries. They also clear invasive nipa palms, which outcompete native mangroves, especially in polluted areas. Volunteers plant red mangroves along the coastline to protect the more vulnerable white and black species.
The results are promising. Lokiaka estimates an 80-96% survival rate for planted mangroves, though independent studies have yet to confirm this. Local fishers report the return of species like crabs, periwinkles, and mud creepers, which had disappeared. Mrs. Agbani says the initiative has also created new income opportunities for women. She says, “Some women now sell mangrove seedlings from nurseries, and others are hired for planting projects. This has restored livelihoods and brought hope to the community.”
Glory Basi, a Lokiaka trainee, says the initiative has transformed her life. She explains, “I can now teach others how to plant mangroves. Because of the mangroves, we have fish, crabs, and periwinkles again.”
Lokiaka aims to plant 5 million mangroves in the next five years. By restoring mangrove ecosystems, Ogoni women are not only reviving their livelihoods but also reclaiming a critical natural resource that provides flood protection, erosion control, and nurseries for marine life.
This story is based on an article written by Aimee Gabay and published on MongaBay in January 2025, titled “Ogoni women restore mangroves and livelihoods in oil-rich Niger Delta.” To read the full story, go to: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/ogoni-women-restore-mangroves-and-livelihoods-in-oil-rich-niger-delta/
Photo: Image courtesy of Lokiaka Community Development Centre.