Empirical Valuation of Ecosystem Services of Mangrove Forests in Delta State

Mangrove forests in Delta State, within Nigeria's South South geopolitical zone, provide critical ecosystem services including coastal protection, fisheries habitat, carbon sequestration, and non-timber forest product provisioning. Despite their ecological and economic importance, these services remain largely unquantified, limiting their integration into land use planning and investment decisions. This study conducts an empirical total economic valuation of mangrove ecosystem services in three distinct mangrove sites in Delta State, using a combination of market price analysis, replacement cost estimation, productivity analysis, and carbon accounting. Primary data were collected through household surveys with 200 fishing and farming households, market surveys, and field biomass measurements. Ecosystem service values were calculated for six service categories: fisheries production, storm protection, carbon storage, non-timber forest products, water filtration, and cultural value. Total economic value estimates range from N18.4 million to N52.7 million per hectare depending on site characteristics and fishing productivity. Fisheries production contributes the highest total value, followed by storm protection services. Carbon storage values using current voluntary market prices represent a significant but currently unrealized economic opportunity. The study recommends the integration of mangrove ecosystem service valuations into Delta State Environmental Impact Assessment requirements, development of payment for ecosystem services schemes, and prioritization of mangrove rehabilitation in oil-impacted areas where service values are most depressed. Keywords: ecosystem services, mangrove valuation, Delta State, South South Nigeria, total economic value