Our long-term biomonitoring (2015–2023) of the freshwater system of one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nigeria, the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, and its major tributaries has contributed valuable data on the transformation experienced by the Osun River as a result of mining activities. Prior to the mining activities, the physical and chemical quality of the water was good enough for aquatic life. Also, our pre-impact assessment of the river indicated that it was dominated by a freshwater bivalve that is usually associated with good biological water quality, i.e., Aspatharia dahomeyensis. Following the mining impact, we investigated the river in 2022 and found no such species again in the river. Some dead fish were also found in the river during our study. Also, concentrations of heavy metals in the river, as well as their levels of bioaccumulation in aquatic invertebrates, were at an alarming rate. Findings from this study were not only published in a peer-reviewed article but also disseminated to the public in layman’s language (see links below).
FURTHER LINKS TO THE FINDINGS:
GALLERY OF OUR PROJECTS:
