Nigeria Mangrove Preservation: Carbon Sequestration and Climate Finance Opportunity

Nigeria's mangrove forests in the Niger Delta are disappearing fast, driven by oil pollution and fuelwood harvesting. Mangroves store up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical forests, making their preservation a high-impact climate strategy. The article outlines how depletion threatens coastal communities, fisheries, and releases stored carbon into the atmosphere. The piece highlights the global carbon credit market as a potential revenue source for conservation, citing Kenya's Gazi Bay projects as a model. For Nigeria, investing in mangrove restoration could unlock carbon finance while protecting shorelines and biodiversity. The key is enforcement against oil spills and subsidies for clean energy alternatives to reduce logging pressure.