NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

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NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• A RELIABLE BASIS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• by
• Jonathan Amakiri
• Ph.D (London), DIC, M.Sc., M.Inst.Pet., B.Sc.
• Executive Director
• Niger Delta Environmental Survey
• A PRESENTATION AT THE CONFERENCE ON
• COASTAL ZONES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AT
• THE ROYAL SOCIETY, LONDON
• 28 MAY, 2003

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NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• This paper is a highly condensed account of the
  Niger Delta Environmental Survey distilled from
  the 53-Volume Phase Two Report for a 25 minute
  presentation. Details of scientific methodology,
  findings and recommendations cannot possibly be
  set out in this short paper.

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INTRODUCTION THE REGION

• THE NIGER DELTA
• a coastal region of global environmental and
  economic significance
• one of the worlds largest wetlands
• the worlds largest mangrove forest
• Africas largest and the worlds third largest
  delta
• West and Central Africas most extensive
  freshwater swamp forest
• a mosaic of diverse and sensitive ecosystems that
  traverse four vegetation zones
• Nigerias last remaining pristine rain forests
• one of the continents few remaining habitats of
  unique biological species
• one of the worlds major hydrocarbon provinces
• (intense industry activities coexisting with
  sensitive ecosystems)

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INTRODUCTION THE NIGER DELTA

• CONSTRAINTS TO SUSTAINABILITY
• rapidly deteriorating ecological and economic
  conditions
• pervasive poverty
• endemic instability over resource rights
• social tensions not adequately addressed by
  existing policies and attitudes
• region characterised by its parlous state in the
  midst of abundant living and hydrocarbon
  resources
• paucity and unreliability of data
• consequent absence of credible basis for
  addressing problems
• diverse and conflicting stakeholder views on
  problems and possible solutions
• World Bank warned in 1995 of urgent need to
  protect life and health of people and ecosystems
  from further deterioration

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NDES FORMATION AND INDEPENDENCE

• Under these circumstances, SPDC initiated NDES in
  February, 1995,
• for independent and reliable information
• as basis for understanding and tackling the
  environmental and economic problems of the region
• to achieve development that is environmentally
  sustainable and people-centred
• OPTS embraced Survey in March, 1996 with limited
  contribution
• Conceived and implemented as an independent,
  participatory, people-centred survey
• Independent Steering Committee with balanced
  stakeholder representation

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NDES STRUCTURE, SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

• NDES implemented in six sectors
• Participatory Rural Appraisal/ Participatory
  Learning and Action PRA/PLA
• Socio-economics
• Human Health
• Biological Environment and Resources
• Hydrology/Hydrodynamics
• Pollution
• in order to address the major concerns of
  sustainable development in three broad areas of
  Human, Biological and Physical environments.
• Information integrated in digital (GIS) database
  and mapping to provide the region with a dynamic
  analytical tool and sustainable
  management/decision support system.
• Participatory methodology, hub of the survey.

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NDES STRUCTURE, SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

• The focal strategy was to concentrate on
• providing a reliable basis to address constraints
  to sustainability and improvement of quality of
  life
• elucidation of interactions between human and
  biological environments
• physical environmental changes expected to be
  evident on state of biological environment.
• The surveys six sectors and their relationships
  as they converge into the Niger Delta Development
  Priorities and Action Plan is schematically
  represented in the next slide

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PARTICIPATORY RURAL APPRAISAL/PARTICIPATORY
LEARNING AND ACTION PROGRAMME (PRA/PLA)

• Contribute to knowledge base through intensive
  interaction with selected communities, across all
  socio-ecological zones
• analyse resource base, social, economic, physical
  and cultural environment of communities from
  their own perspective and in local idiom.
• NDES developed community social maps and
  inventory on the selected 31 communities
  covering
• Ecosystems and Inventory of natural resources
• Community Social Structure, Administration and
  Inheritance Systems
• Socio-Economic Infra-Structure and Modernisation
  process/Extent
• Health and Educational Facilities and Community
  Development Projects
• Rural Economy And Community Perceptions
• Perceptions of Environment, Community
  Relationships And Impacts
• Quality Of Life And Developmental Challenges
• Institutional Framework for Future Intervention
• Conflict Resolution Processes
• Areas of Conflicts Between Community and Oil
  Industry

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BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES

• Biological Environment and Resources survey
  conducted at fifty-nine community-based sites.
• Report of this sector in following six volumes
• BIODIVERSITY STUDIES
• FOREST RESOURCES
• ANIMAL NTFP (WILDLIFE) INVENTORY
• FISHERIES RESOURCES
• ECOLOGICAL ZONATION AND HABITAT CLASSIFICATION

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HUMAN ENVIRONMENT SOCIO-ECONOMICS

• Socio-Economic Survey essentially a
  cross-sectional study of relevant sample
  populations in 40 communities.
• Six study domains produced the following six
  volumes
• SETTLEMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
• INSTITUTIONS AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
• WOMEN AS AGENTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE NIGER DELTA
• LAND ACQUISITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES
  VALUATION
• OIL COMPANIES AND COMMUNITIES OF THE NIGER DELTA
• INDIGENOUS/APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

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HUMAN ENVIRONMENT HUMAN HEALTH ASSESSMENT

• Human Health Assessment in two phases
• Human Health Status in the region
• Nutritional survey in 33 communities, morbidity/
  mortality and health facility surveys in 83
  communities.
• The Human Health report is covered under the
  following titles
• Health Profile of the Inhabitants of the Niger
  Delta
• Health Facilities and Health Manpower Status
• Alternative Health Care System
• General Human Health Issues

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PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION SURVEY

• Pollution survey was in two phases
• Pollution status of the Niger Delta compared with
  data from previous studies.
• (covering physico-chemical and biological
  characteristics of more than 20 river systems in
  the region).
• Sampling and analysis of sediments from all
  polluted sites and region-wide determination of
  groundwater vulnerability.

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PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTHYDROLOGY/HYDRODYNAMICS
STUDIES

• Mostly desk study limited field work because of
  funding constraints.
• Hydrological processes dominant driving
  mechanism of the regions ecological concerns and
  also resource/capital stock to be sustainably
  managed.
• Need for full-fledged hydrological survey, last
  study 40 years old cannot be used as the basis of
  our understanding considering many upstream and
  downstream developments.
• Hydrology/Hydrodynamics report in two volumes
  covering
• Hydrological Characteristics of the Niger Delta
• Hydrological Resources
• Partial Hydrodynamic Model of Eastern Niger
  Delta
• Modeling Applied to a selected Shipping Channel

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PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTHYDROLOGY/HYDRODYNAMICS
STUDIES

• Hydrological Problems
• Flooding
• Erosion
• Sea Level Rise And Impacts
• Hydrological Impacts of Human Intervention
• Impact Of Dams And Reservoirs
• Impact Of Hydrology On Road And Building
  Infrastructure
• Impacts Of Canalisation and Land Reclamation

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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM DATABASE AND MAPPING

• Aims and Objectives
• To map and analyze the land use and vegetation of
  the Niger Delta over time using the available
  analogue and digital data sources, digitize the
  results and develop a geographical information
  system for environmental monitoring and
  management.
• In order to achieve this aim, the specific
  objectives of the project are to
• compile and digitize the topographical map of the
  area to provide the base map
• analyze, map and digitize land use and vegetation
  of the region over three time periods
• carry out a land use change detection analysis
  between the three time periods
• develop a geographical information system based
  on the data generated in the above three
  activities and other sources for environmental
  monitoring and resource management.
• Specific tasks performed
• Seamless digital conversion of the topographical
  basemap at scale of 150,000
• Seamless landuse and vegetation mapping and
  change detection analysis of the 1960s, 1980s and
  1990s to generate change distribution and trend
  statistics .

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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM DATABASE AND MAPPING

• Cartographic design and production of atlas.

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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM DATABASE AND MAPPING
Epoch1 Coverage - Interpreted Using Aerial
Photograph (1960s)
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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM DATABASE AND MAPPING
Epoch2 Coverage - Interpreted Using Landsat TM
Imageries (1980s)
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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM DATABASE AND MAPPING
Epoch3 Coverage - Interpreted Using SPOT XS
Imageries 1990s)
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• NDES report embodied in 53 volumes. Four,
  representing a fair summary of and covering most
  of the core concerns of the survey are briefly
  described
• Atlas of Environmental Change in the Niger Delta
  (Volume 1, NDES Report)
• Assemblage of digital maps at a scale of 150,000
  with statistical and graphical illustrations.
• Depicting landuse and vegetation patterns over
  three time periods (epochs)
• Exhibiting quantum, nature and spatial pattern of
  environmental changes from 1950s to 1999.
• By this, the Niger Delta now has a versatile tool
  and spatial decision support system.
• A solid basis for continuous monitoring,
  evaluation, planning and management of
  sustainable development.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• The significant achievements and findings of the
  mapping and environmental change detection
  project are as follows
• Creation of a composite digital database which
  can serve for developing an environmental
  management information system (EMIS)
• Knowledge of changes would assist re-orientation
  of development towards desired goal.
• In carrying out the mapping exercise, this
  project has come up with a classification scheme
  for land use and vegetation which can be modified
  and upgraded as knowledge on the environment
  improves. Such a classification scheme is
  crucial for regional planning purposes so that
  data and information and experiences gained in
  one part of the Niger Delta can be easily
  transferred to other parts with similar problems
  and environmental attributes.
• Specifically, the analysis done in this study has
  shown the significant impact of oil production
  activities on the landscape of the Niger Delta.
  Many land use categories that were not there in
  1960 increasingly gained prominence on the
  landscape over time e.g. dredged canals, flare
  sites, burrow pits, pipelines.
• The significant environmental impact of oil
  production activities is also highlighted by the
  emergence on the landscape of such land use
  categories as, saltwater impacted forest,
  submerged mangrove, dredge spoil, and open bare
  surfaces.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• Over time, the built-up area has increased many
  fold obviously with the rapid growth in the rate
  of urbanization. The increase in the built-up
  area has been achieved at the expense of arable
  cultivation, secondary forests, high forests,
  rubber plantations, and mangrove swamps. In
  other words, mangrove swamps have been drained,
  and rubber plantations, forests and secondary
  forests cleared to make way for buildings and
  other man-made structures.
• Although, arable cultivation lost out to built-up
  areas in many areas, it made up for the loss by
  taking over land from high forest, mangrove
  swamps, freshwater swamps and marshlands,
  secondary forests and palm bush.
• Another subtle evidence of land degradation in
  the Niger Delta is the increase in the extent of
  the land use category tagged beach/mudflat/riverbe
  d sand. This is evidence of a high rate of
  sedimentation in this wet environment arising
  probably from increased erosion of the land and
  river banks.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• Additionally, this composite digital products
  could provide flexible and powerful support in
  management activities of the following sectors
• Agriculture
• Rural development
• Land use planning
• Population census base
• Natural resource management
• Oil and gas activities
• Deforestation monitoring
• Air pollution assessment
• Clean water protection
• Polluted areas reclamation
• Coastal protection, monitoring and management
• Forest/Wildlife management
• Endangered species management
• Disaster planning and recovery e.g. ESI mapping
  and modelling
• Conservation

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
Baseline Landuse/Vegetation Vectors over 1986
Landsat TM
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• The Niger Delta Development Priorities and Action
  Plan (Volume 2, NDES Report)
• Achieving sustainability through the
  participatory and holistic approach.
• Past development initiatives for this region and
  the nation in general, have failed because they
  were top-down, fragmented and sectoral in their
  approach, instead of being bottom-up,
  participatory and integrated. Environmental
  degradation, economic decline, social and
  political instability in the Niger Delta are
  either a direct consequence of the failure of
  these previous development approaches or were
  aggravated by them. There is clearly an urgent
  need for a new policy thrust that is holistic,
  participatory and cross-sectoral, integrating the
  regions environmental and developmental
  imperatives into an implementable programme of
  actions hinged on social justice, transparency
  and public accountability, if sustainable
  development is to be achieved.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• Meeting the challenges of the deltas
  heterogeneous ecozones
• The focal strategy for the formulation of the
  development priorities, policies, programmes and
  projects in this management plan was predicated
  on the heterogeneous nature and peculiar
  characteristics of Niger Deltas ecological
  zones. Dissimilar environmental and
  socio-economic attributes present varied
  constraints, challenges and opportunities, which
  determine appropriate policy responses,
  development programmes and projects.
• One critical and common challenge though, is the
  difficult terrain that characterises most of the
  Niger Delta and which has been a major constraint
  to economic activities even before oil became the
  dominant issue. This difficult terrain
  provided a ready but unacceptable alibi for the
  gross neglect by successive governments,
  particularly since independence, of the region,
  which for more than a quarter of a century has
  accounted for some 95 of Nigerias foreign
  exchange earnings. The key challenge now is to
  reverse the backwardness and instability of this
  economically strategic region by building the
  confidence of its peoples through transparent and
  sustained infrastructure development and
  socio-economic transformation.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• Critical Issues of a New Policy Thrust
• To rapidly redress the regions neglect, ensure
  sustainable development, assuage the trauma and
  widespread anger of its peoples and promote its
  return to stability, this three-year Action Plan
  has been drawn up to provide policies, programmes
  and projects that are designed for immediately
  confronting the following critical issues
• Environmental Management
• Poverty Alleviation
• Infrastructure Development and
• Social Justice and Conflict Resolution.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• Volume 3 Atlas of Social Infrastructure in the
  Niger Delta
• This is a compendium of digital maps derived from
  the NDES GIS database, depicting the spatial
  pattern of available social infrastructure
  against the background of land use and vegetation
  (terrain and ecozone) information for each Local
  Government Area.
• This document provides a flexible opportunity and
  the potential for an easy appreciation,
  evaluation and analysis of the current status of
  social infrastructure at the State, Local
  Government Area and Ward levels, while also being
  a sound management support system. Particularly
  suitable for meeting the developmental challenges
  of the regions heterogenous ecozones as it
  integrates environmental and socio-economic
  attributes.

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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY
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SUMMARY OF SOME MAJOR PRODUCTS (RESULTS) OF THE
NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

• Summary Volume The Summary and Recommendations
  volume captures the essence of the entire
  53-volume NDES Phase Two Report in a
  well-illustrated and user-friendly style,
  highlighting and cross-referencing a selection of
  key findings and interrelationships, designed for
  a general, non-technical readership. This volume
  provides the scientific basis for the
  recommendations set out in the Niger Delta
  Development Priorities and Action Plan.
• The first two of these four documents, designed
  for use in tandem, provides planners, developers
  and managers of the delta a crucial
  state-of-the-art tool for sustainable
  development.

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CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS

• As collaborating agencies on the Gulf of Guinea
  Large Marine Ecosystems Project, the United
  Nations Industrial Development Organisation
  (UNIDO), the United Nations Development Programme
  (UNDP) and the United States National Oceanic and
  Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have jointly
  recognised the Niger Delta Environmental Survey
  as a model and generic prototype for all
  developing coastal economies in the world.
• Following a technical assessment visit to NDES,
  Professor Michael Watts, a consultant to both the
  Ford and McArthur Foundations, made the following
  remarks
• I was deeply impressed by the quality of the GIS
  platform, and the sorts of cartographic and other
  information that has been generated. It is a
  world class project, and there is probably no
  comparable project (in terms of depth and
  coverage) of any delta in the world. The demand
  for, and utility of, the data generated is
  extraordinary government, the NGO community, and
  the private sector obviously have pressing needs
  for the sorts of information you have generated.

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CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS

• It is imperative that this information be
  circulated both to reveal to government and
  funders the quality and significance of the data
  generated but also to place such a valuable
  resource in the hand of those, and it is a
  substantial community, who need it most as soon
  as possible.
• The cream of Nigerias distinguished scholars,
  experts and peer reviewers described the NDES
  report as an excellent job, a comprehensive and
  reliable information base and decision support
  system that should form the basis of the current
  government development initiative in the Niger
  Delta.
• Yet, nearly three years after survey completion,
  report preparation, several rounds of
  international and local reviews and report
  finalisation, NDES report has still not been
  published, ostensibly for lack of funds.

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CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS

• In the meantime, major developmental initiatives
  from government, industry, bilateral and
  multilateral agencies are proceeding, post-NDES,
  using the failed top-down, fragmented,
  contract-driven approach of the past that had
  left the region parlous, short-changed by benefit
  captors and socio-economically unstable.
• The oil industry, especially The Shell Petroleum
  Development Company of Nigeria Limited that
  conceived and mid-wifed NDES, is on the threshold
  of missing a historic opportunity. It will be a
  tragedy if the credit and benefit of what is
  perhaps industrys most meaningful and enduring
  contribution to the sustainable development and
  enhancement of quality of life in Africas
  largest and most richly endowed delta is either
  lost in the dust of time or allowed to have its
  immense value degraded by long bureaucratic
  delays. We believe it should be speedily
  published for the benefit of all stakeholders,
  especially the managers of the region,
  development agencies and the very people of the
  Niger Delta, the improvement of whose quality of
  life is central to the Surveys Mission.