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One green shoot at a time: the women restoring mangrove forests in the oil-ravaged Niger delta

The Guardian Environment Friday 02 October 2026, 08:00 UTC By Valentine Benjamin in Ogoniland 1 min read
Key Points

In a region of Nigeria blighted by decades of pollution, Martha Agbani and her team are not just replanting trees but regaining ownership of their lost lands and livelihoodsA toxic landscape was familiar to Martha Agbani when she was growing up – the smell of crude oil in the air, rivers running black and trees dying on the banks. In Ogoniland, in Nigeria’s oil-exploited Niger delta, Agbani saw the spills rot away the mangrove forests and destroy the livelihoods of communities around her....

In a region of Nigeria blighted by decades of pollution, Martha Agbani and her team are not just replanting trees but regaining ownership of their lost lands and livelihoods

A toxic landscape was familiar to Martha Agbani when she was growing up – the smell of crude oil in the air, rivers running black and trees dying on the banks. In Ogoniland, in Nigeria’s oil-exploited Niger delta, Agbani saw the spills rot away the mangrove forests and destroy the livelihoods of communities around her.

Now, she is training women to plant them back – one fragile green shoot at a time.

Continue reading...
Niger (ORG) Nigeria (LOCATION) Martha Agbani (PERSON) Ogoniland (ORG) Agbani (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →

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