3.1 Environment

#### 3.1.1 Site vegetation clearing

Before reclamation the site is cleared, which leads to the destruction of native plant species within the reclaimed area [3]. This could lead to permanent loss of mangroves or other plant species of economic/medicinal importance and habitat for marine organisms and wildlife and their emigration to unaffected areas, thereby upsetting the ecological balance. During clearing heavy machinery fell trees. This further denigrates the soil structure and converts the aquatic environment to marshy environment. The swampy environment is a mixture of mud and water, after a long period of perturbation the swampy soil gets solidified and changes to a terrestrial environment.

#### 3.1.2 Increased erosion of the cleared areas/river banks

Once the bulldozer rolls in to mow down the mangroves, it creates depressions for tidal pressure to wash in ashore. This is because the adventitious roots of the mangrove forest serve as tidal breaks. The presence of mangroves along the coast stabilizes and reinforces the soil against erosion. Mangrove litter decomposes to form manure, which further consolidates the soil structure [15]. Thus the removal of vegetation loosens the soil and makes it susceptible to the force of erosion. In the same vein the wheel of the bulldozers fragments the soil particles and makes it porous and prone to leaching or wind erosion.

#### 3.1.3 Increase access for hunting and logging

Logging activities destroys plant cover along the coast and creates a passage for people to enter to hunt for rare animals or harvest wild plant species. Similarly,

reckless and indiscriminate hunting in opened forest reduces population and thus reduces species diversity, which may lead to extinction of some species.

4. Impact of landscape reclamation on marine ecosystem

first phase of reclamation.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82053

sediments [17, 18].

reported to save lives.

crop farms.

world.

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The marine coastal ecosystem is made up of different zones. The uppermost layer or photic zone is 10 m of water and absorbs 80% of solar energy, which carries out primary productivity. The warm shallow waters of the continental shelves are most biologically productive and support the greatest species diversity. Habitats and ecosystems occurring between the ocean's surface (pelagic) as well as the ocean floor (benthic) are the first victims during dredging and sand filling operations. This is because the organisms that reside in these areas are wiped out during the

The Impact of Landscape Reclamation on Mangrove Forest and Coastal Areas in the Niger Delta…

Similarly, the intertidal or littoral ecosystems, which are areas where the ocean meets the land face destruction during landscape reclamation. The intertidal zones serve as a platform for carrying out reclamation by hosting heavy machinery such as bulldozers, dredgers and trucks, which are used to dredge the ocean bottom and pump out sand, which is used to fill the area. The intertidal environment is naturally a tough place for organisms to live, however, with the

Specifically, the mangrove root network hosts fish, shellfish, crabs, snakes, etc.

People participation is very important in landscape reclamation because it would provide a consensus view on land use to the host community [19]. Five ways human

1. Concentration: is a process whereby a given area becomes concentrated by human population due to the fertility of the land. Agricultural activities can lead to the reclamation of coastal area to establish rice paddies, aquaculture and

2.Centralization: these are lands that are regarded as focal points as a result of their economic value. These areas dominate the hinter land and are often reclaimed and sand filled to expand their economic potential. These areas are usually port or coastal locations that attract people from other parts of the

In the same vein, birds feed and nest in the dense foliage. Mangroves provide various ecosystem services such as food, medicine, tools and construction materials. Globally, half of the world mangroves have been destroyed [16] as people have reclaimed those areas as a result of coastal development. Shrimp farming in particular has resulted to the conversion of large areas of mangroves. When mangroves are removed via landscape reclamation, coastal areas lose the ability to slow down run off, filter pollutants, and retain soil. As a result, offshore systems such as coral reefs and eel grass beds are readily degraded. Moreover, mangroves forests protect coastal communities against storm surges, which have been

5. The role of human ecology in land reclamation

ecology influence reclamation of coastal environment include:

addition of reclamation activities the ability of organisms to survive is denigrated. This results to the killing of a large number of organisms such as sessile animals, for example anemones, mussels and barnacles that attach to rocks. There are also some burrowing organisms that dig into shore sand. Salt marshes and mangrove forests that line the coasts in temperate and tropical regions respectively are also endangered because of human desire to live and do business along coasts through the execution of different coastal development projects; land subsidence from oil and gas drilling and dams that hold back marsh-building
