A Swampy Future For Mangroves
Even as the images of the Indian Ocean tsunami four years ago remain locked vividly in memories, conservationists say the impact of such a disaster can be cushioned considerably through the conservation of coastal ecosystems, including preserving mangroves.
The Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 had sent shockwaves through the world as the powerful under-sea earthquake claimed more than 225,000 lives in 11 countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, and devastated entire coastal communities. The stripping of mangrove plantations along coastal regions “leaves millions of people more vulnerable to extreme weather events,” said Dr Don Macintosh, Coordinator, Mangroves for the Future (MFF) – a joint initiative of the IUCN and the United Nations Development Programme.
The Greater Indian Ocean Region, conservationists say, encompasses some of the world’s most extensive and diverse tropical coastal ecosystems. With a total coastline over 140,000-km long, the region boasts a vast network of estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs, sandy beaches, sea-grasses and wetlands that encompass some of the world’s most extensive and diverse tropical ecosystems.
On top of recognising the important role of mangroves in reducing the damage caused by tsunamis and the implications on livelihoods because of mangrove forest destruction, MFF conservationists are extending their programmes from “reef to ridge”, and working to save other marine and coastal ecosystems as well. These vulnerable ecosystems provide essential habitats for many rare and valuable marine species, which underpin substantial commerce benefiting local, national, regional, and global economies. The humanitarian implications of failure to protect coastal ecosystems are extremely serious.
“Investing in coastal ecosystems to support sustainable development requires a long-term perspective, and local, national, regional and global commitment across all sectors”, said Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN Asia Regional Director and co-chair of the MFF Regional Steering Committee.
While mangroves account for the supply of more than ten per cent of the essential dissolved organic carbon in the world, less than one per cent of the mangrove population worldwide is protected adequately, the MFF reports. In some parts of Asia, more than 60 per cent of mangrove has been lost in recent decades.
More than half of the coral reefs in South-East Asia are under threat. Close to 20 per cent, conservationists say, have already been damaged beyond repair. Other marine life like sea-grasses, for example, provide indispensible nursery grounds for fish, but have declined at an alarming rate, and even disappeared altogether in some part of the Indian Ocean.
By adopting new approaches that reorient the limited focus on coastal investment by moving from a reactive response to disasters, to progressive activities that address long-term sustainable management needs, organisations like the MFF “can help empower coastal communities, influence business practices and shape sustainable government policies,” said Professor Sanit Aksornkoae, President, Thailand Environment Institute (TEI).
