Conceptualising sustainable future landscapes : a case study with communities of the oil and gas exploration region Nigeria

Abstract

The Federal government of Nigeria has undertaken social intervention programmes in the oil and gas exploration Region since 1960 producing an average of one programme each decade to address the underdevelopment of the Region. This underdevelopment appears to be as a result of the devastating effects of the oil spills and gas flaring in the Region. This has affected community wellbeing and connection with the landscape as over 94% are small communities in rural landscapes. The result is loss of livelihood, social disintegration and disruption of economic activities locally and nationally. The most recent government intervention programme is the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan (NDRDMP) of 2006 with the goal of sustainable development of the Region. This thesis therefore aligns with the argument that spatial planning is the critical sector to examine, as the problem of the Niger Delta Region is presently predominantly that of landscape degradation. Landscape planning is essential in planning for sustainability; to improve the quality of the environment at the community level it aspires for quality environments. But what vision should guide landscape planning and the future landscape change of the Region? A review of the relevant literature indicates that emerging theories view the landscape as a holistic representation of the interaction between human and natural processes and a need for transdisciplinary planning. The thesis supports this view and argues for creating a future landscape vision with the communities who live and work the landscape of the Region. Hence an empirical study of types of communities that define the Region was conducted. Using an interpretivist theoretical perspective and guided by questions posed by the Carl Steinitz Framework Model of 1990 (revised 1995; 2012) a case study approach and a variety of data collection tools appropriate to demographic groupings were employed. The findings provided insights from an analysis of the narratives of different demographic groups on the community landscape representations. Four landscape types were identified as well as various political and economic impacts on the landscape. Oil and gas exploration activities were seen not always to be the direct driver of the cultural landscape changes. The thesis demonstrated that engaging the community can help to identify the different drivers of landscape change relating to each landscape type examined. It also outlined possible change drivers for future landscapes. An implication for landscape planning is the importance in considering how future landscapes can be effectively conceptualised in a situation where the community landscapes are predominantly small and in rural settings.