Assessment of Perceived Impacts of Livelihood Activities among the Rural Dwellers on the Wetland Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria

Livelihood activities among rural wetlands dwellers in Rivers State, Nigeria were assessed to determine their constraints and impact on the wetlands ecosystem services of Nigeria.

The state is one of the 36 states located in the south-south region of Nigeria, and on Latitude 4°451 N and longitude 6° 501 E. The study was conducted between November 2015, and July 2016, which is constituted the beginning and the end of wetland cultivation in the study area.

Multi-stage random sampling based on purposive and simple sampling procedure using a structured questionnaire of both closed and open-ended was used to generate the primary data. Simple descriptive statistics such as means, averages, and percentages were the analytical technique used.

A total of 340 wetland farmers were randomly selected from 18 communities in six local government area councils of the agricultural zones.

The result showed that of the 340 wetland farmers, 64% were women within the age bracket of 31- 40 years constituting 34.7%. 26.8% of the farmers were engaged in wetland farming solely for income generation and increased crop productivity occasioned by the observed high fertility of the wetland. The livelihood activities identified in the wetlands as key to the food security and economic growth of the region are wetland dry season farming (32.5%) and fuel wood with 25%, summing up to 58.44% while the rest activity constitute about 41.5%.

These livelihood activities had great negative impacts on the wetland system sustainability and ecosystem services, and contributed to the fish loss and low price of crops during glut. There is also a need to develop an action plan involving all stakeholders in the region, to harness the livelihood benefits of the ecosystem services in the wetlands without damaging the system or impacting on it negatively.