For Black History Month 2023, the British Ecological Society (BES) journals are celebrating the work of Black ecologists from around the world and sharing their stories. In this blog, Blessing shares her story and journey in academia.

Your story – How did you get into ecology?

I was born in the Niger Delta riverine cities where oil exploration was prominent, and crude oil pollution was and is still happening. My early child hood exposed me to the stories of fishermen and farmers who lose their livelihood as a result of environmental degradation caused by the pollution. While many of the oil spills were cleaned up, the biodiversity loss was alarming, disappearing mangroves, loss of benthic ecology and fish stock. Without thinking about it, this created a subconscious message in my mind and I found myself studying marine biology in my first degree, and marine pollution management in my masters degree. I am currently pursuing my PHD focused on bioremediation of crude oil polluted water employing nature-based solutions.

What are you researching right now?

On 5th November 2021, a spill occurred that emptied 200 million barrels of crude oil into the Santa Barbara River in Bayelsa State. The title of my research is Bioremediation of crude oil-polluted water using stimulated bioaugmentation materials from a crude oil spill in Santa Barbara River, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Image gallery from top left to bottom right: Collecting Samples, Communities living on Santa Barbara river, Mangroves, The Santa Barbara River, Blessing outside Igbinedion Univerisity.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I am constantly fascinated by natures power and resilience to restore balance. Additionally, the interplay between the environment and livelihood has also inspired me in my career as an international development professional.

If you could see one change in academia to positively impact Black ecologists, what would that be?

Scholarships, mentorship, and research grants that are accessible and tailored to our specific experiences and challenges are required. This would provide opportunities and enhance our influence within the ecological community, enabling us to make more substantial contributions towards the preservation of our invaluable environment.

Any black ecologists who are doing work you admire?

Shout out to Dr.Ogonnaya Iroakasi who is an Environmental Scientist doing great work on bioremediation and contributing to oil spill Clean-up in the Niger Delta

Discover more black ecologists like Florent on our Black History Month page on the British Ecological Society website.