Feasibility of Community-Based Mangrove Restoration for Fisheries Recovery in Rivers State

This study assessed the feasibility and community acceptability of community-based mangrove restoration as a strategy for recovering degraded fisheries in coastal communities of Rivers State, South South Nigeria. Mangrove deforestation in the Niger Delta, driven by timber extraction, land reclamation, and oil spill damage, has substantially reduced the nursery habitat available for commercially important coastal fish species. The study combined stakeholder analysis, biophysical site assessment, and cost-benefit analysis in four coastal communities across the Degema and Bonny local government areas. Key informant interviews, community mapping exercises, and focus group discussions were used to assess community willingness to participate, prior restoration experience, and perceived benefits of restoration. Biophysical assessment identified 320 hectares of degraded mangrove land with high restoration potential in the four communities. Community members expressed strong support for restoration efforts, with 87 percent of respondents indicating willingness to participate in replanting activities when compensation was provided. Previous government-led restoration efforts had achieved low survival rates, attributed to inadequate post-planting monitoring and the use of non-native species. Cost-benefit projections indicated a positive return on investment over a ten-year horizon when fish yield recovery, shoreline protection benefits, and carbon credit revenue were aggregated. The study concludes that community-based mangrove restoration is both ecologically feasible and economically viable in Rivers State and recommends a phased restoration programme with community co-management agreements, technical support from fisheries and forestry agencies, and access to international carbon finance mechanisms. Keywords: mangrove restoration, community-based management, coastal fisheries, Niger Delta, Rivers State