2.2.4 Disturbance

Invasion of foreign species in coastal areas is another precursor to land reclamation activity aimed at remediating the sites in the Niger Delta region. Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) is the major invasive species [12, 13] in the Niger Delta area and has over taken many mangrove forest and coastal areas. The problem is that mangroves provide numerous ecosystem services to the local people while the palms provide no ecosystem service to the people. Because of the non-use of the palms they had been removed from several locations with the aid of swamp buggies as a means of mitigating their negative environmental effect. The entry of big machinery into the swamp had added more stress to the coast by destroying many soil-dwelling and benthic organisms. The problem of this action is that the nipa palm forest after being cleared is repossessed by the government for infrastructural developments, which rather than reduce the negative effect worsen the situation of the coast. An example of this pattern of landscape reclamation is found in a place called Eagle Island, Niger Delta where the mangrove forests were cut down and sand filled and later the area was used for developmental project (Figure 6).

3.1 Environment

Table 1.

61

Health impacts

Air emissions

Reclamation

coastal life Geology & hydrogeology

Noise & vibration

Impacts on mangroves

Impacts on wildlife &

Impacts on soil & water

3.1.1 Site vegetation clearing

terrestrial environment.

3.1.2 Increased erosion of the cleared areas/river banks

Potential impact Site preparation Dredging Sand

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

Deforestation Clearing

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

Potential environmental impact of land reclamation in the Niger Delta, Nigeria.

mining

Sand filling Construction

porous and prone to leaching or wind erosion.

3.1.3 Increase access for hunting and logging

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

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

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,
