With several sand-mining activities taking place in Assa community in southern Nigeria, The Colonist Report Africa reporter, Rosemary Nwaobasi Ikpegbu, visited the area and spoke with sand miners, community members, an Imo State environmental official and a soil scientist to understand whether local communities can help support Nigeria in meeting its 2030 conservation target.
As the 2030 deadline for global biodiversity conservation approaches, questions are emerging about how Nigeria will protect its natural ecosystems while supporting communities that depend on them for their livelihoods. In Assa, a community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, sand mining by locals provides income and supplies materials for construction. But how can the activity be managed to ensure that the surrounding wetlands are not put at risk?
Under the global 30×30 conservation goal, countries have committed to working towards the effective conservation and management of at least 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial and inland-water areas, as well as 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas, by 2030. The target forms part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022.
The framework also includes a separate target to place at least 30 per cent of degraded terrestrial, inland-water, marine and coastal ecosystems under effective restoration by 2030. Together, these targets highlight the importance of conserving ecosystems and restoring those that have been damaged.
For communities around Assa’s wetlands, these international commitments raise practical questions. What happens when economic activities take place in environmentally sensitive areas? Who ensures that mining operations comply with environmental requirements? And could local communities help protect the wetlands without losing an important source of income?
The Colonist Report Africa findings reveal different views about the benefits and potential environmental risks of sand mining, alongside questions about government oversight and the possibility of community-led conservation.
Sand Mining Activities in Assa
On Monday, August 3, The Colonist Report Africa visited Awonma, a wetland in Assa, in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area. Stretches of water surrounded by vegetation were visible alongside areas where sand mining was taking place, including operations on the water.
The visit also revealed gullies and sections of land that appeared severely degraded around areas associated with red-earth extraction. Poor road conditions made some routes difficult to navigate.
For people involved in the business, sand extraction provides income and supplies a material widely used in construction. The activity also supports other economic activities, including transportation and the sale of building materials.
Oluwa Prince, a sand miner and community member, has been involved in sand mining in the community since 2014. He told The Colonist Report Africa that the miners had legally obtained permission from the government before mining in the community, a claim that The Colonist Report Africa could not verify as of the time of publication.
Prince claimed that miners had taken precautionary measures to prevent environmental damage and used equipment he considered appropriate for the work, adding that their activities had not yet caused any flooding.
“We have never experienced anything like flooding. You can see the hill; there is no way water can climb it and get to the village,” he said, and continued; “We don’t mine upland. We use the required dredger. It is when you mine upland that the land tends to collapse.”
According to Prince, the prices of sand sold range between ₦100,000 for a big motor and ₦25,000 for a smaller motor.
What Are the Environmental Risks
Sand extraction can affect the environment, depending on the location, method and intensity of the activity. Poorly managed operations may alter river channels, destabilise banks, increase sediment movement and disturb habitats used by aquatic organisms.
Where wetland vegetation is removed or the surrounding land is disturbed, the consequences may extend to water quality, drainage and the ecological functions that support wildlife and local livelihoods, according to the report by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Another miner, Blessing Agumadu, who operates around Egbada and waterways including the Asa and Amakohia rivers, argued that sand extraction remained necessary in the Asa area and did not identify a major problem with the activity there.
He told The Colonist Report Africa that some of the areas where he mines sand require tools such as swamp buggies and excavators, but that their activities do not cause any environmental damage.
Community Interest in Sand Mining
While sand mining may be linked to environmental damage, residents of Assa community say that local sand mining has made building and construction materials more affordable for residents and has continued to engage young people in the community in legitimate business activities.
Eze Magnus, a community member, told The Colonist Report Africa that sand mining in Assa has made construction materials more accessible because of its proximity to local communities.
Magnus said: “It’s over ten years we started mining here and there were a lot of trees over here but before then we usually go far to buy sand whenever we wanted to build house or want to do one thing or the other.
“But for the fact that the sand is closer to us now, if we were buying a trip at 50 thousand naira, you notice that it is lesser because it’s closer to us.” He said finding someone that have a site for mining is much cheaperYou can easily go there and negotiate with someone that has a dump you notice the price is less . That’s one of the benefits when it comes to the area of tripping sand compared to before “
However, he noted that they had noticed some changes around the river and its habitat.
“Part of the changes we noticed is that the water now has a good face because when it was filled with trees you find out that what you see is water here water there but it doesn’t really have a bigger face. But the fishes before, If you want to get fish from the river, you usually follow by the side of the trees but now since they have used drredger you can easily come and lay your net.
When we had the trees it was easier to get fish because you could hang through the tree and the fishes would not know that some one is closer. but now that they have used dredger to clear the place open , to get a fish now seems difficult…the fishes seems to be going to the places where there is still trees because it seems it’s more cool”
Despite the changes observed, Eze maintained that the community had neither experienced flooding nor erosion in the area.
“Mining here has not affected in the area flooding. Because it located in a good area, it has a hill. Since we started mining we have not In the history of of its existence experienced anything like flooding or erosion“
Another community resident, Kelechi Ifeanyi, said sand mining had provided opportunities for young people in the community. “You can see our young boys are engaged instead of doing nothing or joining bad gangs.”
Ifeanyi said, “some of them are here doing business, and we don’t want anything that will make government disturb them here.”
What Is the Imo State Government Doing
Government authorities have a role in setting environmental requirements, monitoring activities that may affect wetlands and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
To establish the state government’s position on sand mining, wetland conservation and the 30×30 target, The Colonist Report Africa contacted the Imo State Ministry of Environment and Sanitation. The ministry directed the publication to Ekwulonu Ijeoma, its Head of Ecology and Climate Change.
Ijeoma outlined several environmental management approaches, including afforestation, reforestation, conservation plots, watershed protection, habitat restoration and climate action planning.
She also said the state had mapped out 27 forest areas across different local government areas, including Egbema, for forest-reserve purposes.
Regarding sand mining and wetland conservation, Ijeoma said the state government had prohibited mining in parts of the municipal area, including locations associated with the Nworie, Otamiri and Azaraegbelu rivers.
She confirmed that areas such as Assa had government permission for sand-mining activities.
Ijeoma also disclosed that a conservation work plan was awaiting consideration by the Imo State House of Assembly before it could be passed into law.
However, she said, “Presently now the ministry is not aware; we are not aware of the target a target is something that when you set it, you work towards it but the ministry is not aware of this particular target so I can speak much on it.”
Could Community-Led Conservation Help
Beyond examining potential environmental pressures, the investigation explored whether Assa’s wetlands could become part of a more structured conservation effort.
Rashid Munshuru, a soil scientist and environmental advocate consulted during the investigation, highlighted the importance of protecting wetland soils and their ecological functions.
He warned: “In soil science terms: if we lose the organic hydric soils of Asa, we lose them for 100+ years. Sand will replenish in decades; wetland soil structure and biodiversity will not.”
Munshuru identified possible conservation approaches involving zoning, miner cooperatives, alternative livelihoods and transparent management of revenue.
He said the government could protect Assa by 2030 and suggested that between 2026 and 2027, it should gazette the Asa Wetland boundary, conduct a full ecological and soil carbon baseline, and place a moratorium on new licences.
“2027-2028 Develop Assa Wetland Management Plan with Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta LGAs, designate as Imo State Community Conservation Area.
“2028-2029 Establish community ranger and monitoring team, install 5 hydrological stations, restore 500ha of degraded floodplain forest.”
He continued that, by 2029–2030, the government should secure sustainable finance (Ecological Fund, carbon credits, Ramsar support), develop alternative sand supplies from upland sites, and report Assa protection towards Nigeria’s 30×30 accounting.
He also warned that although sand lost to mining would replenish over time, wetlands, soil structure and biodiversity would not.
“ if we lose the organic hydric soils of Asa, we lose them for 100+ years. Sand will replenish in decades; wetland soil structure and biodiversity will not
This story was produced with funding from The Colonist Report Africa as part of the 2030 Marine Conservation Target reporting initiative, supported by the Earth Journalism Network.
