This further denigrates the soil structure and converts the aquatic environment to marshy environment. Centralization: these are lands that are regarded as focal points as a result of their economic value. "Land reclamation kills mangroves, seagrass and corals. Port-Harcourt, Warri and Lagos are at the sea level. During exploration the coast is first dredged, cleared of vegetation and reclaimed in other to create a plat form for mounting pillars that carry oil pipelines and well heads. Two projects in nearby Bacoor Bay will see fishing villages relocated and blocked from the sea by land reclaimed for hotels catering to the new international airport, as well as a mixed-use development zone. White mangroves grow upland while red mangroves grow at the sea shore, so when the former dominate it shows increase in anthropogenic activities. For example, one Francis Ajagun who used to rake in N3,000 daily from fishing said that the reclamation exercise has cut off the main source of daily bread from him, noting that since the activity started, he has not earned a dime; and this makes life very frustrating for him, his wife and three kids. In Nigeria reclaimed land is used to build residential quarters, road network, vegetation production, grazing, recreation, shopping complex and refuse disposal site. There is nowhere along this zone that is more than 200 meters. In some occasions, it is filled with both. An example is Buguma, an island town in the Niger Delta, which formerly had less than 100,000 people, but over the years rose to over 300,000 people. Such administrative control of the land by the chief is referred to by early, mid and late successional species) within 15years, 510years and 1030years respectively. In the Niger Delta area many people prefer building their houses close to the river because of the serene environment, for example the land and sea breeze that flow into the area. 2020 The Author(s). I have this example for you. Our team is growing all the time, so were always on the lookout for smart people who want to help us reshape the world of scientific publishing. Accumulation of dredged spoil converts the swamp to terrestrial area and also changes the physico-chemistry of the coasts [3]. For instance, oil field that is established in mangrove swamp. The reclamation land which is in two phases is located on a reclaimed land of over 100 hectares. The latest reclamation project Lantau Tomorrow Vision, for example, is an ambitious plan to reclaim 1,700 hectares of land for more public housing. Restoration: it is the attempt to fully restore the original ecosystem. Land reclamation has been a common practice to produce valuable land in coastal areas . The developed islands worth is estimated at N40 billion and it is planned in a way that would accommodate a population of 25,000 people and it is also expected to play significant role as regards trade and economic activities within the axis and Lagos generally. The marine coastal ecosystem is made up of different zones. Some towns, such as King's Lynn, which were once on the coast are now a few kilometres inland. It is business on the part of those doing it because poor people dont benefit from the houses being built on the reclaimed land. The implication of these landscape reclamations is that the destruction of mangrove forests lead to a colossal loss of ecosystem services to the environment. So far in this location thousands of houses had been built, which houses over half a million persons. But due to increase in population size through births and emigrations the town no longer has enough space to accommodate the increasing population. Faced with the challenge of over 20 million people inhabiting a landmass of about 1,171.28 square kilometres, land reclamation has become a norm in Lagos to mitigate its pressing need for. This means that those living on the old waterfront now have a large expanse of land bordering their respective locations. Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill ), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The way the practice is being done in Nigeria encourages subsidence along the coast. This is a situation where rivers near ports are expanded to accommodate large ocean going ships. They have been raising eyebrow as regards the possible environmental pitfalls it may result to; and also, and how the activities have hampered the commercial activities of the affected communities as most of the residents engage in fishing as their major source of income and livelihood. The investment company of Lagos state, Ibile Holding Company is carrying out the project on behalf of the state. The Atlantic City was built by dredging up and filling in 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) worth of land. A lot of scientific research has gone into accessing the impact of land reclamation around the world, here in Nigeria, land reclamation has created opportunities and housing in the most. Concrete bases are constructed on this platform to carry the pipes from the drilling point, which may be at an off-shore or on-shore site to the refinery. Backing the argument of Nwilo, a former Professor of Geography at the University of Ibadan, Adetoye Faniran, viewed the matter in a way that seems supernatural. I hope they are being done according to the best practices in order to protect the ecosystem., He concluded by saying that: land reclamation for the purpose of constructing properties in commercial quantities is risky.. Ben Ayade for allowing a level playing field at the Cross River North senatorial election of Feb. 25. Canalization is done to enable ships to berth at the wharf, without running aground. The crude oil resource is mainly present in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which is the centripetal force on which the nations economy revolves [3]. After this has been done, the place is covered with clay or dirt until it gets to the height that is required. Contact our London head office or media team here. During clearing heavy machinery fell trees. Lending his voice on the matter, an environmentalist, Osawe Irabors view differs from those of Nwilo, Faniran and Afegbua. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Mangrove vegetation is the dominant species found at the interface between the land and the sea. A perfect example is a fishing community called Ago-Egun which is located at the outskirt of Bariga axis in Lagos. However, their predicament began when a company known as Nigerian Westminster Dredging and Marine Limited commenced sand filling project at Lagos Lagoon, at the foot of Third Mainland Bridge at Oworonshoki. This is because of land expansion activities such as urban development. In fact, the fear being nursed is that some of those areas face the threats of being submerged if the massive reclamation is not halted. It could also lead to fish kills and smothering of aquatic organisms. Residents and activists say neighbouring developments on reclaimed land also threaten the area's environment. 1. Work Plan for Groundwater Study at Long Island Mines. For instance, The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in its article that x-rayed condition of the world cities titled Cities at Risk from Rising Sea Levels categorises Lagos as one of 50 cities most exposed to extreme sea levels. Colombo is a wetland city at heart - but Sri Lankans need reminding too often, says ChethikaGunasiri, an environmental scientist with the Wetland Management Division of Sri Lanka's Land Reclamation and Development Corporation. Books > Changes in land form lead to changes in the biogeography of the area. Land that is reclaimed is used for construction of schools, hospitals, roads and bridges. So, some observers are of the view that the recent flooding that are now common in these areas are not unconnected to the ongoing massive land reclamation. This situation had precipitated the uncontrolled reclamation of coastal lands [4]. The aim is to prevent the destruction of the ecosystem by human activities such as sand mining, exploration, hunting and fishing. This is because of land expansion activities such as urban development. Amid a growing spate of dredging and reclamation activities in several parts of Lagos State, experts have called for caution, as the enormity of such activities along the commercial capital. We have carried out some investigations. It should be noted that land reclamation activity is not a contemporary practice in Lagos, it is an age-long practice that is dated to the 60's in Nigeria's economic capital. The solidified area is used as a platform for construction activities. Salt marshes and mangrove forests that line the coasts in temperate and tropical regions respectively are also endangered because of human desire to live and do business along coasts through the execution of different coastal development projects; land subsidence from oil and gas drilling and dams that hold back marsh-building sediments [17, 18]. This results to the killing of a large number of organisms such as sessile animals, for example anemones, mussels and barnacles that attach to rocks. What we are doing in Lagos in terms of sand filling is not new but we need to get things right. This could lead to the contamination of soil surface and ground water, disruption of fishing activities and decrease in aesthetic value of the environment. There are also some burrowing organisms that dig into shore sand. As PhD students, we found it difficult to access the research we needed, so we decided to create a new Open Access publisher that levels the playing field for scientists across the world. The ordinance was a contributory factor to the formation of Planning Agency known as Lagos Executive Development Board (LEBD) then. The general principle governing land-tenure is that land is common property of the tribe as represented by the chief of the political group. The felling of trees and the uprooting of their stumps leads to soil fragmentation. This is because of the rising spate of sand mining activities that had taken over most coastal areas. This is because such activities lead to the clearing of the mangrove forest and other coastal vegetation. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) is the major invasive species [12, 13] in the Niger Delta area and has over taken many mangrove forest and coastal areas. Land is regarded in this area as the best form of asset investment because of the prestige attached to its ownership. This situation had led to the loss of many species. Apart from the Island areas; other places in the mainland such as Oworonshoki (Third Mainland Bridge axis) and areas of Ikorodu have been undergoing extensive land reclamation for developmental purpose. These activities are economically beneficial to farmers, but inimical to the environment. Shrimp farming in particular has resulted to the conversion of large areas of mangroves. Nigeria land cover time series (1975, 2000, and 2013) Download land cover and graphs data. This estimate was made using Arc GIS [9]. Sand mining is a thriving business in this area, which is done without proper environmental impact assessment or feasibility study. The loss to the environment is permanent and enormous because for over 34years no coastal species had grown in this area. The procedure attempts to convert unused land into useable land and contributes to the expansion of the land area, the creation of habitat for [] The restoration of tidal force, edaphic factors and climatic effect will encourage natural recruitment of seedlings. Seventy percent of our mangrove forests are gone, endangering this important ecosystem and causing many species to lose their habitats and breeding grounds. Landscape reclamation is. Continuous mining leads to the deformation of the coast lines and the destruction of aquatic organisms, which results in extinction of species. Segregation: this is when units or communities cluster together based on homogeneity of ideals or goals. Abia (state) Aba Arochukwu Umuahia Adamawa (state) Jimeta Mubi Numan Yola Akwa Ibom (state) Ikot Abasi Ikot Ekpene Oron Uyo Anambra (state) Awka Onitsha Bauchi (state) Azare Bauchi Jamaare Katagum However, experts said, the exploitation of land and dredging for construction works in Lagos, pose a great threat to the growth of the city, especially with the fast erosion of the shorelines due to higher water levels caused by climate change. Land is highly priced and many have died for its sake through fratricidal wars and communal clashes because of its scarcity. Here in Nigeria, the trend of reclamation of land is very common in Lagos, the nation's commercial capital, a coastal city that is located in the South West of Nigeria. Built by dredging up and filling in 10 kilometers ( about 6.2 miles ) of... Encourages subsidence along the coast, the place is covered with clay or dirt until it to... 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