Abstract: Globally, coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to coastal hazards due to a combination of natural and physical factors as well as social and economic systems. As a result, this study employed a parallel convergent mixed-methods research design to examine the factors influencing coastal hazards and mitigation strategies in Nigeria's Niger Delta. Data were acquired from questionnaire, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Percentages were used to analyze the quantitative data and the KIIs and FGDs were manually transcribed to preserve linguistic tones that were done in Pidgin English and local dialects. The findings of the study revealed that 55.32% and 50.43% of the respondents, respectively, viewed that population growth and anthropogenic activities such as oil exploration, deforestation etc. are the major factors increasing coastal vulnerability, while 84.21% support shoreline protection and 87.27% endorse early warning systems as the mitigating measures. Respondents’ perspectives from the interviews further contextualized the causes of coastal hazards to include inadequate government planning, poor infrastructure that requires urgent community calls for integrated conservation and resilience-building measures. Therefore, the study recommends that integrated mitigation strategies that combines ecological restoration, adaptive infrastructure, and enhanced community participation with effective governance be prioritized to reduce coastal hazards vulnerability in the study area.
Key words: Coastal Vulnerability, Disaster resilience, Ecosystem degradation, Mangrove restoration, Urbanization, Niger Delta