Twenty years ago, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classified the Niger Delta as a region of high biodiversity of marine and coastal flora and fauna – tree species, fish, birds, and mammals, among other forms of life – and therefore rated it as a very high priority for conservation. Yet it also noted that the region’s biodiversity was under massive threat, with little or no protection.
二十年前，世界自然保护联盟把尼日尔三角洲分类为一个拥有极丰富海洋及沿海动植物多样性的地区——不同树种、鱼类、鸟类和哺乳类与其他形式的生命共处一地——因此将其列为极高的优先保护等级。然而该联盟也指出，由于这个地区极少或未被保护，其生物多样性正处于巨大的威胁之中。