Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has urged the United Nations to institutionalise the protection of the world’s deltas, including Nigeria’s Niger Delta, through a convention.

The governor stated this against the backdrop of increasing threats from erosion, pollution, flooding as well as shrinking salt marshes and mangroves to the world’s 25 deltas.

His spokesperson, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, quoted Governor Diri as having spoken yesterday during the opening of a threeday “4th Mega Delta Meeting: International Conference on Dialogue Between Land and Sea” in Shanghai, China.

Stakeholders had identified the threats as a global problem that required international cooperation to find solutions and prevent the extinction of the deltas and their capacity for sustainable livelihood and economic development. Diri stated: “It is with deep emotion that I address this gathering, for these deltas are not merely places on a map.

“They are the lifeblood of our communities, custodians of our stories, and the fragile promise of tomorrow. “I speak with urgency and passion — not only to list challenges, but to honour the courage and resilience of those who continue to live, work, and dream in these deltas.

“These deltas feed nations, anchor economies, and nurture biodiversity. “Yet they face rising seas, land subsidence, and dwindling sediment flows. From the Yangtze River (in China) to the Mekong River (in Southeast Asia; from the Danube (in Europe) to the Niger Delta, the pattern is the same.”