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INRES, Powell Chair End Scoping Workshop On Niger Delta Mangroves

In advancement of its advocacy initiative, the Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Sustainable Development (INRES) in partnership with the Bruce Powell Chair of Hydrobiology/Fisheries in the University, have ended a Scoping Workshop on the Niger Delta Mangroves and Coastal Zones.
In a presentation at the workshop which held at the Bruce Powell Animal and Environmental Biology Building, University Park, on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, Director of INRES, Professor Benjamin Ndukwu, described the University of Port Harcourt as a leading institution in the Niger Delta and among the first to address issues affecting the mangroves and coastal zone resources of the region. He described the workshop as part of his institute’s effort towards sustaining the rising profile of the University in the study of wetlands, including a paradigm shift towards fishing and other renewable resources that abound in the region with its fragile ecosystem.
“We are looking forward to a time when the current pains and travails of the Niger Delta would be transformed through a well-articulated ecotourism initiative in which waterfronts would become beaches for relaxation and not refuse dumps and dens of criminality, while coastal communities would correspondingly become great cities as against the current designation of the Niger Delta as a region riddled with the adverse effects of oil and gas exploration activities, pipeline vandalism, alien invasive species, amongst others,” Professor Ndukwu said. He commended the pioneering effort of the Bruce Powell Chair in attracting global attention to issues affecting the Niger Delta in partnership with critical stakeholders that included INRES. 
In her contribution, Chair Occupant, Professor Aduabobo Hart lauded the achievements of the late Powell in Hydrobiology/Fisheries, expressing delight at the emergent partnership with INRES in the preservation and documentation of the fragile flora and fauna of the Niger Delta. 
“The late Bruce Powell was very interested in the ecosystem of the Niger Delta. He put in his best to place the Niger Delta on the international map. Powell also discovered a lot of rare species and was the first person to scientifically describe the diverse organisms. We will continue to further the research works of C.B Powell, a Canadian who trained many of the experts in the Department today. This workshop and future conferences on the mangroves and coastal resources of the Niger Delta would help us better understand the environment. With the knowledge gained, we can also contain the problems that affect the environment such as climate change,” she said.
In his address, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Gordian Obute, described scoping as one of the most critical and neglected aspects of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). “This workshop is essential to the preservation of the fragile ecosystem of the Niger Delta, especially for researchers undertaking a study in this subject area as it would provide them with hands-on training from experts. It is, therefore, important for participants to learn as much as they can from this very important workshop on Niger Delta mangroves and coastal zone resources,” he stressed.

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