Niger Delta, Nigeria

The Niger Delta covers 20,000 km2 and is home to 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups. Its diverse ecosystem, which includes mangrove forests, freshwater swamps and lowland rainforest, contains one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet.
Since oil production began 50 years ago, this region has been affected by unprecedented oil spillage - more than 9343 incidents within 10 years. Further environmental degradation results from gas flaring (70 million m³ of gas may be wasted by burning off each year), dredging of rivers and land ‘reclamation’, making it one of the worst polluted areas in the world. Most of the cost is borne by local communities who suffer polluted water, infertile farmland, fish depletion and lost biodiversity.

Approx area depicted: 27,000 km2
Date of image: 2020