Assessing wetland degradation and loss of ecosystem services in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Ayansina Ayanlade*, Ulrike Proske

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

The Niger Delta, being the most extensive freshwater wetland and aquatic ecosystem in West Africa, provides numerous services both to local people and to the West African economy. Ongoing environmental pressure exerted by large-scale oil extraction and illegal timber logging, however, are suspected to have had a substantial impact on the Delta's ecosystems over the last decades. Knowledge on impact of these activities on the region's wetlands now or in the past is scarce and patchy. To address this lack of knowledge, this study assesses spatiotemporal changes in two wetlands in the region by using satellite data from 1984 to 2011 and GIS methods. The results show that both wetlands have experienced substantial degradation, particularly with respect to the area of forest lost. Although comprehensive environmental protection laws were introduced in 1988, ecosystem services of up to US$65 million in value were lost over the study period. The introduction of new legislation in 2007, however, is potentially a first step towards a more 'wise use' of wetlands in Nigeria.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)828-836
Number of pages9
JournalMarine and Freshwater Research
Volume67
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • GIS
  • NDVI
  • Ramsar
  • Remote sensing

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