Governing the Environmental Impact of Dredging: Consequences for Marine Biodiversity in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Okoyen E, Raimi M O, Omidiji A O, Ebuete A W. Governing the Environmental Impact of Dredging: Consequences for Marine Biodiversity in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Insights Mining Science and Technology 2020; 2(3): 555586. DOI: 10.19080/IMST.2020.02.555586.

9 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2020

See all articles by Ebikapaye Okoyen

Ebikapaye Okoyen

Bayelsa State Ministry of Health; Save One Million Lives Program for Results (SOML PforR).

Morufu Olalekan Raimi

Niger Delta University (NDU) - Department of Community Medicine

Omidiji Adedoyin Oluwatoyin

Niger Delta University (NDU) - Department of Geography and Environmental Management

Ebuete Abinotami Williams

Niger Delta University (NDU) - Department of Geography and Environmental Management

Date Written: October 30, 2020

Abstract

The attention of most scholars and stakeholders is far drawn from the devastation of the environmental consequences caused by dredging related activities, which has necessitated sand filling and pilling including skewed national government policies, which has resulted to fundamental concern to halt species extinction, a situation which ecologist are not at ease with. Emphasis has been focused on alterations in the chemistry of the environment. They are worried with the numerous vanished creatures and saddened, often angered by their extinction. Man has directly or indirectly been the cause of the extinction, including the issues of depletion and degradation impact on the environment, thereby, leading to restrictions in the size, density, and distribution of organisms that threaten the biodiversity, resilience, or provision of ecosystem services. As soon as the functionally significant components of an ecosystem are missing, it is extremely challenging to identify and understand ecological thresholds. The extent and intensity of human disturbance to oceanic ecosystems is a significant threat to both structural and functional biodiversity and in many cases this has virtually eliminated natural systems that might serve as baselines to appraise these impacts. It is therefore recommended that effective management of dredging problems in the Niger delta will require enforcement of relevant environmental laws, environmental monitoring, as it help limits the huge expenses on habitat clean-up exercises and restoration programs and critical habitats should be banned or carried out in such a manner as to protect the area or limit dredging to the lowest ecological damage. This should be pressure on all oil companies and relevant stakeholders to discontinue with dredging related activities. Petrochemical such as oils and other hydrocarbon should not be present in the aquatic environment in concentration that can cause tainting of edible aquatic organism, form visible deposits on shoreline and bottom sediment or be detected as a visible film/sheen or discoloration.

Keywords: Dredging; Environmental impact; Ecological damage; Critical habitats; Bio-complexity; Bioturbation; Niger Delta

Suggested Citation

Ebikapaye, Okoyen and Raimi, Morufu Olalekan and Oluwatoyin, Omidiji Adedoyin and Williams, Ebuete Abinotami, Governing the Environmental Impact of Dredging: Consequences for Marine Biodiversity in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria (October 30, 2020). Okoyen E, Raimi M O, Omidiji A O, Ebuete A W. Governing the Environmental Impact of Dredging: Consequences for Marine Biodiversity in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Insights Mining Science and Technology 2020; 2(3): 555586. DOI: 10.19080/IMST.2020.02.555586. , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3721724

Okoyen Ebikapaye

Bayelsa State Ministry of Health; Save One Million Lives Program for Results (SOML PforR). ( email )

Yenagoa
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
Nigeria
+2348039349766 (Phone)

Morufu Olalekan Raimi (Contact Author)

Niger Delta University (NDU) - Department of Community Medicine ( email )

Nigeria
07038053786 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Morufu_Raimi

Omidiji Adedoyin Oluwatoyin

Niger Delta University (NDU) - Department of Geography and Environmental Management

Amassama
Niger

Ebuete Abinotami Williams

Niger Delta University (NDU) - Department of Geography and Environmental Management

Amassama
Niger

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