Author(s): Ulisan Mogbitse Ogisi, Edward Ohwofasa Okumagba
Customs and traditions have played an immense role in the protection and conservation of the natural environment prior to the advent of western civilization through religious and spiritual beliefs for centuries. The advent of formal institutions and legal frameworks has equally made greater strides in this regard. Nonetheless, much has not been achieved in the Niger Delta region home to Nigeria’s vast hydrocarbon reserves. Much of the Delta’s freshwater and mangrove swamps have been lost to the unending petroleum exploration and production activities in the face of series of legislation. The article adopts the doctrinal research method in x-raying scholarly literature to achieve its aim. It revealed that customs and traditional practices in Alaska, in the United States of America (USA) and India have retained such practices in the face of formal institutions and legal frameworks. This article therefore makes a case for the application of customary practices in the protection and preservation of the environment of the Niger Delta.