The Impact of Unsustainable Exploitation of Forest and Aquatic Resources of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

AbstractOverexploitation of forest and aquatic resources in the Niger Delta has become a recurring decimal and has led to the decline in species population. Many species have become vulnerable to extinction due to unregulated exploitation. Lack of monitoring and regulation has increased the rate of overexploitation. In addition, poverty is a critical factor that has made some local people exclusively depend on the resources in their environment as sources of food and income. Continuous exploitation can lead to the loss of species. Forest destruction has a domino effect on other species that depend on forests for survival. For instance, the use of mangrove stem as fuelwood (i.e., firewood) has decimated 25% of the mangrove population. The rate of decline is increasing yearly, and if nothing is done to protect and conserve them, they will become endangered in a few years. Overfishing has been going on in the Niger Delta for decades because of a lack of regulation and control, and most of the fish in the river are caught unsustainably. The fish stock is getting depleted daily, and there is a dearth of information on fish population models that map out aquatic regions and show the level of fish stock in the area. This situation will make coastal management of fisheries resources a nightmare and difficult. This chapter thus recommends that the best way to preserve the forest and aquatic resources is to foster partnership with the local community members as equal stakeholders in monitoring and controlling overexploitation. Then the government should also fulfill its social responsibilities by providing good social amenities and employing the teeming unemployed to create another source of livelihood.KeywordsAquatic resourcesForest resourcesUnsustainable practicesBiodiversity depletion