The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), on Saturday, joined the rest of the world to mark the World Mangrove Day, reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding one of the earth’s most vital ecosystems, the mangroves.

While marking the day, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey noted in a statement issued in Port Harcourt that mangroves play a crucial role in coastal ecosystems, providing habitat for a diverse array of species and protecting shorelines from erosion.

According to him, mangroves maintain water quality, sequester carbon and render cultural and spiritual services.

He said the theme of this year’s World Mangrove Day, “Protecting Wetlands For Our Common Future,” resonates and reflects the role of mangroves in maintaining environmental integrity, regulating the climate, providing socio-economic support, and conserving biodiversity.

The Project Coordinator indicated that in Nigeria, human activities such as pollution from oil spills, plastics, industrial effluents, urbanisation, dredging, and deforestation contribute to significant mangrove loss, adding that between 2010 and 2020, approximately 20 percent mangroves were lost in the Niger Delta.

To reverse the trend, he disclosed that HYPREP has undertaken the world’s most extensive restoration of oil-degraded mangroves in Ogoniland, saying, the Project has completed 93 percent of the phase 1 mangrove restoration project in the Bomu Creek, covering 560 hectares.

Zabbey said HYPREP has also planted 1,393,223 multi-species mangrove seedlings, mimicking the natural zonation and relative proportion of the five species of mangrove planted, contending that “our ecologically sound mangrove restoration efforts have also led to the removal of the invasive nipa palm in the rehabilitated areas.”

He further noted that after over a year of restorative planting, signs of environmental and biodiversity recovery are becoming evident, as some of the planted black mangrove saplings are beginning to flower and produce propagules, stressing that the gradual recovery of crabs, shrimps, oysters, dogwhelks, periwinkles and mudskipper, among other indicative species has been recorded.

According to him, the HYPREP mangrove restoration project has created over 600 direct jobs for Ogoni youths and women, who are involved in planting and monitoring mangrove seedlings/saplings.

He revealed that mangrove vanguards, trained by HYPREP and supported with grants, nursed and supplied the mangrove seedlings to the restoration planting contractors, a gesture which he noted has amplified the livelihood contribution of the Ogoni mangrove restoration project.

Zabbey further hinted that HYPREP would expand the mangrove restoration to other communities in Ogoniland as part of its phase 2 mangrove restoration project, scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2025, saying, as HYPREP continues to monitor planted mangroves through its robust monitoring programme, it has also embarked on sensitising local communities on the need to protect mangroves.

He also disclosed that HYPREP has distributed some clean cookstoves as part of a pilot project aimed at reducing dependence on mangrove wood for cooking, adding that the clean cookstove intervention would be scaled up in the coming weeks.

Zabbey noted that the sustainability of planted mangroves is crucial, as the Project is exploring the possibility of partnering with civil society organisations and development agencies to ensure the sustainability of the rehabilitated mangroves in Ogoniland through sustained sensitisation and creating alternative livelihood opportunities.

“We are also seeking a declaration of the restored mangroves in Ogoniland as a Ramsar Site, which is one of the UNEP report’s recommended actions,” he intoned.

The Project Coordinator noted that protecting wetlands is not just about conservation but about survival and building a community resilience, saying, “it is about securing a future where our children and our children’s children can fish, farm and thrive in balance with nature.”

He emphasised that every mangrove restored is a step toward climate stability, economic security and ecological health, saying, “the Niger Delta, with its people, culture and courage, can lead the world in wetland recovery.”

Zabbey, therefore, used the opportunity provided by the World Mangrove Day celebration to call on Nigerians to support nature-based solutions that integrate science and indigenous knowledge, invest in women’s and youth education, and promote sustainable livelihoods tied to a healthy ecosystem.