By Obiabin Onukwugha
As the United Nations marked the 2025 World Mangrove Day, a non-governmental organization, Centre for Gender Equity and Sustainable Development, has called for an end to the destruction of mangroves especially, the Niger Delta mangroves.
The 2025 World Mangrove Day with the theme: “Protecting Wetlands for our Future”, emphasizes the crucial role of mangroves as nature-based solutions for a sustainable future, particularly highlighting their importance in carbon storage and sequestration.
Ina statement to mark the Day, executive director of the centre, Constance Meju, noted that mangrove serves as habitat for marine and aquatic life, and as well source of economic livelihood for coastal communities.
“Today is World Mangrove Day: Centre for Gender Equity and Sustainable Development joins the world in calling for an end to the destruction of the mangroves especially, the Niger Delta mangroves.
“The mangroves are habitat for our sea foods and a major source of livelihood for our women in the coastal areas,” she said.
Meju emphasised the need for responsible Mangrove cutting, while also joining in the call on oil extractive companies to clean up areas destroyed by their activities in the Niger Delta. She also noted the efforts by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, in restoring destroyed mangroves across Ogoni.
“The Gender Equity and Sustainable Development, identifies with the success of far, of HYPREP in replanting Mangrove seedlings in some reclaimed areas and the new skills and opportunities that it’s creating community women.
“We call on oil extractive companies to respect the environment and clean up areas destroyed by their activities in the Niger Delta, even as they attempt to dodge responsibility by divesting to go off shore. We call for responsible Mangrove curio g and replanting,” she stated.
