The Executive Director of SRADev Nigeria, Dr. Leslie Adogame, has cautioned that Nigeria could lose its remaining 30% of wetlands by 2035 if conservation measures are not improved. In his remarks at the 2025 World Wetlands Day event in Lagos on February 3, he criticized the lax enforcement of environmental regulations, particularly by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), despite current laws and Nigeria’s commitment to the Ramsar Convention since 2021, an international treaty aimed at conserving and managing wetlands globally.
Dr. Adogame questioned the enforceability of wetland conservation regulations and emphasized government negligence. He underlined the necessity of improved cooperation between the federal and state governments
in order to properly document and maintain the natural ecosystem. Also, he mentioned that his NGO’s initiatives to address wetland concerns surrounding the Opebi Link Bridge and promised to keep educating the public and working with NESREA to improve policy implementation. SRADev Nigeria intends to start public awareness initiatives and talks with NESREA about implementing the 2009 Wetland Regulation, he added.
Rapid urbanization poses a threat to Nigeria’s wetlands.
Concerns raised by Dr. Adogame highlights the critically declining state of Nigeria’s wetlands, which make up around 2.6% of the country’s land area and are important ecosystems that sustain biodiversity and offer necessary services. Wetlands in Nigeria have historically faced constant threats from infrastructural development, agriculture, and urbanization. The entire wetland area was estimated to be 3,763 square kilometers in 2000. This number rose to 3,899 square kilometers by 2015, but it fell to 3,854 square kilometers in 2020, showing a varying but alarming pattern.
According to a 2018 assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), draining for development and cultivation was the main cause of the loss of more than 85% of the world’s wetlands that existed in 1700. This global trend is reflected in Nigeria, where substantial wetland degradation has resulted from rapid urbanization. The situation is especially critical in Nigeria’s commercial center, Lagos State. The substantial reclamation of the natural ecosystem for Real Estate development has increased the city’s susceptibility to flooding.
Critical decline of Nigeria’s wetlands and biodiversity.
A geospatial analysis revealed that encroachment caused the Omu Creek wetland in Eti Osa Local Government Area to shrink by 37% between 2002 and 2021. In a similar vein, the wetlands of the Lekki Conservation Centre experienced a startling 42% decrease from 2011 to 2021. Economic ramifications tied to the loss of the natural ecosystem is substantial. In order to sustain local lifestyles, the natural ecosystem offer vital functions like flood control, water filtering, and fishery assistance. Its degradation has caused biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and increased flooding, all of which have high financial impacts.
While there are few precise monetary estimates for Nigeria’s wetlands, the loss of the natural ecosystem worldwide has been linked to significant financial costs due to the diminished environmental services they offer. A study that concentrated on the Hadejia-Jama’ are floodplain found that the the natural ecosystem play a significant role in sustaining local livelihoods by estimating the yearly economic gains from fuelwood extraction, fishing, and agriculture. The destruction of the natural ecosystems jeopardizes not only biodiversity but also the Financial Stability of the communities that depend on them.
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Currently, wetlands in Nigeria are estimated to encompass 29,924 square kilometers, mostly in the southern parts of the country. This is a major decrease from past levels, highlighting how urgent it is to implement efficient conservation measures in order to protect these priceless ecosystems for coming generations. In the absence of coordinated conservation efforts, Nigeria could lose these vital ecosystems by 2035, as worsened by Dr. Adogame. Thus, it is crucial that the public, environmentalists, and legislators work together to establish sustainable practices to protect Nigeria’s remaining wetlands for future generations.