The Niger Delta has Africa's largest mangrove forest and crude oil deposits. The Delta is a biodiversity hotspot endowed with numerous micro- and macro-organisms that are yet to be taxonomically classified because of the shortage of knowledge and limited funds for research work. Nigeria is operating an oil-based economy to earn foreign exchange. Increasing demand for global crude oil has led to more explorations in oil-rich minority communities that are the primary host of the oil industries. Several cases of crude oil spillages have devastated land and sea and contaminated drinking water, seafood, and farm products. Studies show that oil spillages pollute over 90% of the land and water in these communities. Also, many farmlands and forests have been destroyed to make way for crude oil pipelines and wellheads. The loss of land had resulted in the loss of livelihood opportunities (i.e., Fishing, farming, hunting, and local craft), leading to food scarcity in oil-bearing communities. The despoilation of the land has greatly affected farming activities. We thus propose ecological intensification to manage natural resources in the Niger Delta, where 30% of available land in oil-impacted communities is converted to conservation parks. A preliminary study shows that farming in remediated sites will provide food for over one million persons yearly. At the rate of population growth of 2.6%, 5.3 million persons are added to the >200 million persons annually. Therefore, if nothing is done quickly to stop the despoilation of land and water resources in minority communities, more citizens will be displaced and impoverished, leading to a food crisis and starvation in the most populous country in Africa.
