The Effects of Marine Pollution on Nigerian Coastal Resources

Abstract: The effects of marine pollution to coastal resources are extensive, impacting on the flora, fauna and entire ecology of the coastal environment. In most cases apart from direct impact on the living resources, marine pollutants tends to adversely alter or degrade the environment to extreme conditions that are beyond the tolerant or adaptation limits of the living resources therein. The destruction of aquatic life due to acute thermal shocks. Other effects of thermal pollution include normal physiological processes, such as growth and reproduction of aquatic species which has become severely impaired.  Rampant discharge of hot effluents, untreated sewage, oil spills, plastics and other forms of debris into our coastal aquatic environment is quite common off the coasts of Lagos and major industrialized cities of the Niger delta region of Nigeria such as Warri and Port Harcourt. Also flaring of associated gas especially at the flare pits are a severe source of thermal pollution in the coastal environment of Nigeria. Within the Niger Delta region, there are so many flare pits. The scorching heat from such flare sites destroy wildlife over a considerable radius of the areas around and drastically distort the natural population density of nocturnal animals through constant illumination of the forest. The following measures  are recommended to the government and relevant agencies; aggressive enlightenment and advocacy, economic empowerment of residents of coastal communities, strict enforcement of relevant laws concerning the abuse of the seas, and setting up of local scientific committees which will collaborate with such international committee to solve localized problems in the affected areas and re orientation and attitudinal change amongst coastal dwellers on the best global practice in reducing pollution of the seas.