Nigeria loses $2bn annually from poor mangrove forest management policy -Report

Nigeria is named among four countries with the largest middle income nations with mangrove areas poorly managed, and losing at least $2 billion annually for lack of defined policy on the sector.

This is according to a study by international research carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which in its 2016 review report published on Friday, named some countries that have failed to tap enough resources from their mangrove forests to include Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria.

Of the countries, “Nigeria is the least in preparatory action for positive growth of its forest resources, due mainly because of lack of defined policy, with huge revenue losses noticed.”

Also, of the countries that could in the next five years fall in line in tapping enough resources from the rich mangrove forests in their domain are Indonesia and China.

With an expected policy shift, Brazil and India will be subject of review in 2017 to 2018.

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The researchers, specifically named Mexico as the only country that has been leading in manning its forest by trained professionals, while reaping impressively from the bold step.

“There is a general lack of capacity to protect millions of hectares of mangrove forest, Mangroves’ management often falls under the jurisdiction of multiple ministries, from forestry to fisheries, creating a maze of vague responsibilities that deliver little protection on the ground.

“With exception of Mexico, which has been able to achieve this feat, it has the most effective laws specifically designed for the management of mangrove forests,” the report said.

It also noted, that global attention on mangroves has grown due to their effectiveness in absorbing atmospheric carbon, for sheltering fisheries and checking coastal erosion.

“Despite government intentions to manage them, governance regimes are generally ineffective at conserving mangroves because they generally fail to involve communities,” Steven Lawry, CIFOR’s director of forests and governance research was quoted by online news agency as saying.

He further disclosed that the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 saw the threat being put under check in Thailand and Indonesia due to successful mangrove rehabilitation policy.

Indonesia is said be home to more than one-fifth of the world’s mangrove forests, followed by Mexico with Nigeria coming third.

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