Renaissance Africa Energy Company and host to its South Swamp Gas Gathering Solution (SSGGS) project, have commenced plans to conserve the Apoi Creek Forest Reserves in Bayelsa State, South-South Nigeria.
Renaissance, a consortium of indigenous firms, in March acquired the onshore and shallow-water assets hitherto operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) in the Niger Delta.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Yenagoa on Friday, Mr. Charles Akhideno, Head of Biodiversity at Renaissance, noted that the event aims to develop a Diversity Action Plan for areas within a five-kilometre radius of the SSGGS project site near the Apoi Creek Forest Reserves.
He said that Renaissance prioritises care for the environment and engages in conservation efforts to restore the environment where it operates.
According to him, the company is working with communities, environmental scientists, civil society organisations and the Bayelsa government to develop plans to preserve endangered animal and plant species at the Apoi Creek Forest Reserves.
He noted that the environmental scientists who have been conducting studies at the forest reserves will review species of monkeys, chimpanzees, vultures, and parrots, amongst other plant and animal species that are endangered, for attention.
Mr. Ebi Ben-Ololo, Bayelsa Commissioner for Environment, regretted that oil and gas exploration had adversely affected and degraded the environment across Bayelsa, with relics of pollution degrading the ecosystem.
Ben-Ololo, however, commended the approach adopted by Renaissance Africa in prioritising environmental protection and conservation even before the commencement of the SSGGS project.
The traditional rulers, community development committee members, women and youth leaders deliberated on ways to halt human actions that put pressure on the forest resources and endanger the biodiversity of the forest reserve.
They resolved that alternative economic activities should be considered for those who depend solely on the forest resources in environmentally sustainable fields.