The Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwase III, has called on tourism stakeholders to safeguard the Niger Delta mangroves from foreign interests seeking to exploit them under the guise of carbon credit offsets.
The monarch made the call on Wednesday in Lagos during an ongoing art exhibition showcasing the works of Art scholar and environmentalist Dr John DeBebs.
Crimson Fusion Curators, the organiser of the solo exhibition, disclosed that it will run from March 5 to March 13.
While speaking at the exhibition, ‘The Intersecting Worlds of Climate Change, the Mangrove and Art,’ the revered monarch said indigenous communities urgently needed to safeguard their land and heritage.
He said that the forests absorb and store carbon at an astonishing rate, offering a natural solution to the climate crisis.
The traditional ruler said, “They are more than just ecosystems; they are the lungs of our heritage.
“They sustain our life, they protect our shores, they preserve our identity.
“While we have looked upon them for generations, others from far have begun to look at them differently through satellite images, through the lens of economic speculation and with intentions that threaten the collective sovereignty of the people of Niger Delta.
The world now acknowledges what we have always known about, that mangroves are among the most efficient carbon sources on this planet.”
He noted that the Itsekiri’s, and the entire Niger Delta would not allow their heritage to be exploited by those who neither understood its significance nor bear the cost of its destruction.
