WORLD OCEANS DAY JUNE 8, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

As the world commemorates the 2021 World Ocean Day (WOD) tagged ‘The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods’, the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) demands that the Nigerian government and citizens should reflect on the livelihood supporting functions of the ocean and other ecosystem goods and services that the ocean provides. Yet, the stakeholders have treated this huge repository of biodiversity (the ocean) with less care or outright negligence. This year’s WOD theme is especially relevant as it marks the beginning of the UN Decade (2021 -2030) of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

There will be no humanity without the ocean. The ocean produces at least 50% of the oxygen on the planet, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and it is the main source of protein for more than a billion people globally. Almost half of the world’s population depend on the oceans’ biodiversity for their livelihoods. The ocean also absorbs about 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by man and in the process becomes acidic to its detriment. These, notwithstanding, man’s degrading approach to the ocean has resulted in the depletion of over 90% of big fish population, with more than 50% of coral reefs destroyed – implying we are taking more from the ocean than replenished. Man’s increasing population and exponential waste generation exacerbate the many problems faced by oceans and marine organisms. It has been reported that over 70% of ocean waste, particularly plastics, are land-based (meaning they are produced on land), and find their way into the ocean. These plastics, considering the feeding habits of marine organisms are ingested and severe life-threatening implications.

The ocean is a major receptor of plastics. Urban pull with its associated ineffective and unsustainable waste management systems compounds the issue. Runoff during rainfall pushes all openly dumped plastic and other waste materials into the tributaries of the Niger Delta, which are transported through the estuaries into the Gulf of Guinea. Thus, it has been estimated that by 2050, there would be more plastic than fishes in the oceans, if urgent sustainable plastic waste management approaches are not adopted.

In Nigeria coastal communities and other communities contiguous to inland waterbodies and lakes depend on fishery resources for livelihood. This is increasingly eroding. The WOD theme calls for reflection to seek approaches to reverse the trend, especially through sustainable policies and citizen’s stewardship. For example, unsustainable activities including, but not limited to, indiscriminate dumping of sachet water bags, plastic water bottles, and other chemical and biological wastes need to be strictly controlled. Obnoxious fishing methods (e.g., use of chemicals and dynamites) should stop.

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is very strategic to the Gulf of Guinea given that over 60% of fishes in the Gulf of Guinea breed in the mangroves of the Niger Delta. This significant contribution to the fishing population in the Gulf of Guinea is greatly diminishing due to the increasing oil pollution from operational oil spills and spills from numerous artisanal oil refining camps (kpofire) in the delta mangroves. Waste streams from industries, most times untreated, are discharged uncontrollably into the aquatic environment. In Nigeria, very little has been done to conserve or protect the ocean. We insist that the first national step to curtail severe impacts on the Atlantic Ocean (the Gulf of Guinea) would be to control land-based sources of ocean pollution. This could be achieved through active legislation, tax imposition, fines, stringent monitoring and prosecution.

As an organization working assiduously for the conservation the environment, including the ocean, CEHRD wishes to use this opportunity of the WOD 2021 to call on the Government and other stakeholders to engage in effective public sensitization on the importance of the ocean to humanity, and develop effective frameworks for restoring degraded oceans, and conserve them alongside the ancillary coastal habitats and estuaries. Public sensitization is critical to achieving behavioural changes towards the conservation of the ocean and marine resources. Also, a co-management framework that engenders a community role in the management of marine resources would provide opportunity for co-ownership and support of government policies towards protecting the oceans, and by extension livelihoods, since the communities depend on the ocean. CEHRD cannot over emphasize the role stringent regulations towards ocean restoration and protection. CEHRD will continue to engage critical stakeholders towards achieving SDG 14 in the Niger Delta. CEHRD has already established mangrove nurseries which are managed by environment clubs she had established in coastal schools in Rivers State. This is a crucial step towards mangrove ecosystem restoration, which is key to achieving sustainable ocean health integrity.  

It is only when stringent actions are taken that we can contribute to global and local efforts to reduce the impacts of pollution on our oceans and general environment. If we succeed in restoring polluted or depleted mangroves, more fishes will be able to breed, which implies more fishes for the fishermen and women.  if activities that pollute the marine environment are limited, we will conserve the ocean and continue to enjoy its resources. Ultimately, we would have collectively refreshed our ocean to produce more fishes and undertake ecosystem balance. These local efforts will have magnified global effects and we should have recreated our oceans to support biodiversity, oxygen production, fishery production and other life and livelihood supporting functions.

Signed

Kabari Sam (PhD)

Head, Environment and Conservation CEHRD

k.sam@cehrd.org.ng

+234 (0) 803 094 5214