The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has intensified efforts to restore biodiversity in Ogoniland with the successful establishment and implantation of two additional bloody cockle culture beds in the tidal flats of Bomu Creek.
The initiative forms part of ongoing ecological restoration activities aimed at reviving aquatic life in Ogoni’s creeks, many of which were impacted by years of hydrocarbon pollution.
Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, recently led the restoration team in setting up the two cockle culture beds within the intertidal flats of Bomu Creek, a move considered critical to the gradual reintroduction of the species into its natural habitat.
During the exercise, carefully selected cockle broodstocks were seeded into the sediment of the prepared culture beds. The timing of the implantation in March is considered strategic, as it allows the cockles sufficient time to acclimatize to their new environment ahead of their peak breeding season, which typically occurs between June and September.
Experts involved in the project explained that introducing adult cockles months before the natural spawning period enables them to adapt to the ecological conditions of the Bomu mudflats, which differ slightly from those of their original habitat, the source of the broodstock.
The adaptation period is expected to reduce environmental stress on the species and improve their chances of survival, reproduction, and natural dispersal. This, in turn, is anticipated to enhance the prospects of re-establishing a stable population of bloody cockles in the Ogoni creeks.
The reintroduction of bloody cockles is seen as a significant step in the broader environmental remediation programme in Ogoniland, with stakeholders expressing optimism that sustained restoration efforts will gradually revive the rich biodiversity once associated with the region’s wetlands
