Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Rivers State, located in Nigeria, faces significant environmental challenges that threaten the state of the earth in the region. The state is endowed with abundant natural resources, including oil and gas deposits, lush forests, and diverse wildlife. However, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and population growth have led to environmental degradation and pollution of rivers, land, and air. One of the primary environmental challenges in Rivers State is oil pollution. The presence of multinational oil companies has resulted in oil spills, gas flaring, and other forms of pollution that have devastating effects on the environment and public health. The Niger Delta region, where Rivers State is located, has been termed one of the most oil-polluted regions globally, with severe consequences for aquatic life, agriculture, and the livelihoods of local communities. Deforestation is another critical issue facing Rivers State, as large tracts of forests are cleared for agriculture, logging, and urban development. This loss of forest cover has led to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and disrupted ecosystems. The degradation of the state's forests threatens the survival of endangered species and reduces the capacity of ecosystems to provide essential services such as carbon sequestration and water regulation. Water pollution is a significant concern in Rivers State, with industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and domestic waste contaminating rivers and water bodies. The pollution of water sources has detrimental effects on human health, aquatic life, and ecosystems. Poor waste management practices and inadequate sewage treatment facilities contribute to the deterioration of water quality in the state. The rapid growth of cities in Rivers State has led to challenges in solid waste management, with inadequate infrastructure for waste collection and disposal. Improperly managed solid waste poses health risks, pollutes the environment, and contributes to flooding in urban areas. Addressing the issue of solid waste management is crucial for mitigating environmental pollution and improving the quality of life for residents. In conclusion, Rivers State is facing significant environmental challenges that require urgent attention and concerted efforts from government, industries, and communities. Sustainable development practices, stringent environmental regulations, public awareness campaigns, and community engagement are essential for addressing the environmental issues in Rivers State and safeguarding the state of the earth for future generations.

Thesis Overview

Environmental issues are meant to be operationalized through the formulation of actor-specific environmental actions plans, which define priority action that will convert strategy into practice. The Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) process which is an increasingly popularized cans of solving the myriads of problems afflicting the environmental in contemporary world.

The study examines the use of Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) process as a strategy of solving environmental problems in Bonny Island, Rivers State, Nigeria by investigating the perception of the general public on the state of the environment in the area, level of participation of people in compliance to existing environmental strategies, causes of ineffective environmental management in the area and assessing community satisfaction with existing environmental management approach using well structured questionnaires administered to sampled households

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Questions were related to socio-economic characteristics of households, willingness to participate by the community in the EPM process, perceived level of environmental degradation in the area, level of compliance of oil and gas companies to environmental laws and the role of Government environment protection agencies in protecting the environment of the study area.

The results confirm that the level of damage from oil exploration, gas activities, pollution and pipeline vandalizations is chronic and cumulative, which has resulted to the degradation of the environment, routine of facilities and compliancy to environmental management approaches are not regular, facilities and equipment were found be grossly inadequate therefore proper inspection can not be well carried out, the community expressed dissatisfaction with the existing environment approach which they attributed to the inability of fully implementing the environmental approach, the community indicated that given the opportunity they are willing to particimendations were made for the effective and efficient application of the EPM process in the study area.