Save Global River Deltas Now Or Face Environmental Catastrophe- Bayelsa Governor Urges UN

In a dramatic appeal from the heart of China, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has unleashed a passionate call for the United Nations to take historic action to save the world’s vanishing river deltas — including Nigeria’s own critically endangered Niger Delta.

Speaking at the 4th Mega Delta Meeting in Shanghai, China – Governor Diri warned that these vital ecosystems, which sustain millions of lives and drive economies worldwide, are on the brink of collapse due to relentless erosion, pollution, and climate threats.

“This isn’t just about rivers and land — it is about the survival of entire communities, the heritage of nations, and the fragile hope for our planet’s future,” Diri declared. The governor revealed chilling details from a disturbing Bayelsa State report exposing decades of environmental destruction caused by unchecked oil exploitation, calling it an “environmental genocide.”

With urgency, Governor Diri called on the international community to institutionalize delta protection through a sweeping United Nations convention—the UN Convention on the Conservation of River Deltas (UNCCRD). He urged global leaders to transform knowledge into immediate action, protect these delicate ecosystems, restore devastated wetlands, fuel local livelihoods, and unleash global funding and science for bold climate adaptation.

Diri averred that the global body must take responsibility and urgent action to prevent the ongoing depletion of the river deltas.

“If deltas connect rivers to the oceans, then this conference must connect knowledge to action. That is why Bayelsa State, with the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, has been leading the call for a United Nations Convention on the Conservation of River Deltas (UNCCRD)”

Urging stakeholders at the conference to point the way forward by making a declaration of intent, he said the proposed convention would protect deltas as unique and fragile ecosystems, restore degraded wetlands and empower local livelihoods as well as mobilise global science and finance for sustainability and adaptation.

“At home, we are translating this vision into practice. We have created a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to align our conservation efforts with opportunity.

“We are restoring mangrove forests, which are the green shields of our coastline. We are training youths and women for livelihoods in aquaculture, eco-tourism, and renewable energy.”

Bayelsa is already leading by example, establishing a new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, launching mangrove restoration projects, and empowering local youth and women with green jobs in aquaculture, eco-tourism, and renewable energy.

As 180 experts and policymakers from 31 nations stand united in Shanghai, the message is clear: the time to save the world’s deltas is now or never.