• Were the goals and objectives changed in the course of project implementation?


• No

• If yes, state in detail why the goals and objectives changed?

• Were these objectives met?
• No

• If not, what were the principal obstacles?
• The project could not be completed due to the major challenge of delayed funding and or non-funding after the first disbursement.

• How could these obstacles have been avoided?
• First, is to release funds for the completion of this laudable project that was generally accepted by all stakeholders. In addition, Timely project funding to avoid long delay and project termination


2. Key Outputs, Outcomes and Innovations
• What were the key outputs that make your project stand out and were critical to the success of the project?
• We have developed a methodology to successfully reduce petroleum contaminated soils below the recommended Department of Petroleum Resources standards for industries in the Oil and Gas Sector.
• This technique using higher plants is environmentally friendly and reduces the risk posed to the environment by other technologies currently adopted in the fragile mangrove ecosystems of the Niger Delta Region,
• The Methodology is indigenous and provide job creation and livelihood opportunities to communities in the Niger Delta region and beyond and thus assist to reduce poverty and crisis in the region which is driven by scarce resources
• More importantly this phase of the project is to ensure that industry, academia and the population use this technique both commercially and in policy and research so as to create jobs, livelihoods and curriculum for the training of graduates to carry on and popularize the use of this environmentally friendly technique in remediation of soils polluted by petroleum contaminants
• Thus, this phase uses the tools of advocacy and research to scale up and replicate the methodology for wide usage to leverage more widely the environmental, socio and economic benefit of phytoremediation.


• What would you say are the key innovations that make your project stand out and are critical to successful environmental, social and economic outcomes?
• The Expert meeting brought to the fore new ideas that were very useful to the project progress. It provided access to recommendations that led to the effectiveness of the selected indigenous plants used at the project site and the setting up of nursery / use of indigenous plant seed.


?

• The use of higher plants for remediation of petroleum contaminated lands is cheap and environmentally friendly and reduces contaminants below the standards recommended by regulatory authorities,
• The technique will create jobs and livelihood for indigenous populations and thus reduce poverty
• The technique saves foreign exchange used in the other methods of remediation that may be based on costly imported equipment and products.
• The workshop achieved the project design to scale up, increase the number of companies and enterprises and attain the widespread use of phytoremediation as a technique for the reductions of contaminants from petroleum contaminated soils and lands in Delta State and other parts of the Niger Delta region. In the end, various stakeholders came up with a commitment to replicate the project in diverse ways. See stakeholders’ commitment as listed above.



• How did you engage the local community and key stakeholders to participate in the project?
• Participatory approach
• Collaboration with the community from project conception stage to design and planning,
• Robust consultative engagement
• Advocacy visit
• Focus Group Discussions
• Gender mainstreaming
• Interviews and involvement of all community groups: men, women and youth as well as grassroots organizations and associations



Environmental Impact
• What measurable impact has the project had in terms of environmental protection since the beginning of the project? Where possible, please provide statistics and numbers that document the change or impact of the project over time.


• Desertification of community farm lands which resulted from the oil spill and the destruction of the entire ecosystem were redressed through the activities implemented so far. There was observable vegetative cover at the project site and close water bodies, plants, animals, microbes, fishes and other life forms are now observed growing in the region.
• Restoration of the previously contaminated lands for agricultural uses.
• The project also discovered and used indigenous and some other phytoremediation plants as the preferred plant for the project, because these plants were found to have the desirable attributes for remediation by higher plants. The plants were nurtured in nurseries, before being transplanted to the project site. We now have a locally accessible plant that could be used for remediation of petroleum contaminated soils. They are Awolowo (Chromolaena Odoreta) Wild rice (Oryza glaberrima), Maize (Zea Mays), Jatropha (curcas), Oroh (indigenous name), Sage (indigenous name), Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)


• State the size of land/forest restored and or protected during this project
One (1) hectare in dimension



• Please indicate the number and hectares of Protected Areas that were positively influenced through this project
• One (1) hectare in dimension


• Please indicate the number and hectares of Indigenous Community Conserved Areas that were positively influenced through
• One (1) hectare in dimension


• Please indicate the number and name of sustainably produced biodiversity and agro biodiversity products supported through SGP
• N/A


• Please indicate the number and name of significant species with maintained or improved conservation status through projects
• N/A

Socio-economic impacts
• What measurable change has there been in local incomes and job opportunities? (change in average household income, job creation, revenues, livelihood diversification, livelihood/income diversification, market access etc)


• Project is yet to be completed


• Where possible, please provide statistics and numbers that document the change or impact of the project over time.


• Project is yet to be completed


Policy Impacts
• In what ways has your initiative advocated for policy change?
• Consultative engagement/advocacy visits to government parastatals and agencies, academicians, remediation companies, oil companies, Local Government (Isoko-south, Isoko-north and Ughelli north), neighboring communities (Uzere, Irri, Iyede, and Igbide), NGOs, CSOs, community leaders/executives and members of Emede community for adoption and wide use of phytoremediation technique by oil industry and environmental service providers and so far a lot of them has made commitments to adopt the technique as listed above.


• Has there been success in influencing policy at what level (community, institution, municipal, regional) and what were the critical factors that made that success possible?
• The project is yet to be completed. However various advocacy visits to government parastatals and agencies, academicians, remediation companies, oil companies, Local Government (Isoko-south, Isoko-north and Ughelli north), neighboring communities (Uzere, Irri, Iyede, and Igbide), NGOs, CSOs, community leaders/executives and members of Emede community yielded good result as mentioned above.


• What have been the barriers and the successes removing these barriers?
• There was an information gap between the ICD project facilitator and the host community at the initial stage of the project. This gap caused misunderstanding that led to delay and stoppage of activities for some days before it was amicably resolved and project activities continued.
• There was equipment failure at some point but immediately resolved.
• Heavy and often unpredictable rainfall leading to flooding. Setting up of a nursery and planting of indigenous phytoremediation plants. The plants were nurtured in nurseries, before being transplanted to the project site

• Have there been any regional (subnational) or national policies or laws that were enacted or changed as a result of your project?
• No


• (Biodiversity specific) Has your community engaged in the planning, implementation or review of National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans?
• No


• (Climate Change specific) Has your community engaged in the planning, implementation or review of the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs)?
• No

Knowledge Management
• Describe the strategy employed to ensure effective knowledge management for this project?
• Social media platform, Banners and trainings


• State and describe how many knowledge management products (publications, manuals, etc) were produced during this project?
• Project is yet to be completed


• State how much media coverage, press releases, and press conferences the project enjoyed?
• Social media attention received