Evaluation of Soil Organic Carbon in Gana, Saniko and Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria

The restoration of mangroves was essential for implementing climate change mitigation strategies. Deforestation, forest degradation, and global warming increased the amount of greenhouse gases released from the soil, which contributed to climate change. The impact of forest restoration and regenerative farming techniques was thus hindered by the absence of adequate data on Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the Niger Delta region, which was vulnerable to soil degradation as a result of crude oil activities. Therefore, the quantification of SOC in Gana, Saniko, and Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North of Delta State, Nigeria, was carried out to address this challenge. The findings indicated that Agbarha-Otor had the highest mean value of 1.1232 g/cm³, while Gana had the lowest mean soil bulk density (0.7764 g/cm³). A similar pattern was observed for the organic matter content, with Agbarha-Otor recording the highest mean value of 4.14% and Gana having the lowest mean soil organic matter content (2.03%). In Gana, Saniko, and Agbarha-Otor, the estimated levels of SOC ranged from 31.33 to 136.81 t C/ha. The results of this study would help policymakers develop measures that were suitable for the conservation of soil carbon.