THE VALUE OF MANGROVE FOREST RESOURCES IN COOKEYS CREEK OPOBO TOWN

The destruction of mangrove vegetation in Opobo town due to land reclamation projects were undertaken to increase the amount of developable land in Opobo town was done without the determination of the value of the mangrove ecosystems that would be lost. This study attempts to determine the value of mangrove forest resources lost due to the land reclamation through questionnaire, focus group discussions, site (study area) visitation, other related materials and face to face interviews, the statistical analysis indicate that, If no quantifiable measure of the value of mangrove forest and its resources in monetary terms are made available, then it could be perceived that mangrove forest have little or no value to society and can therefore, be exploited. There is an urgent need for the mangrove forest and its resources and other coastal ecosystems services to be valued in monetary terms. It is an accepted fact that mangrove forest and its resources are threatened, therefore, to inform decisionmakers, it is necessary to have a base value for mangrove forest in Nigeria using the Cookey's Creek mangrove forest as a study site.