Mangroves : Not A Waste Of Space
Owing to the muddy and swampy conditions in which they grow mangroves have often been derided as places of malice. Malarial infested swamps full of crocodiles, tigers, snakes and other unseen dangers that terrorise the imagination. They are in fact a vital part of the coastal ecosystem and through that, our survival.
The term mangrove covers the diverse range of plants, which live in inter-tidal conditions in oxygen-starved mud on tropical and subtropical coasts. They play an important role as a buffer between the land and the sea by preventing coastal erosion with their thick, extensive root systems, by holding sediments together and stopping them from reaching other sensitive marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. They provide habitats for countless birds and animal species and maybe most importantly for humans, is their importance in the maintenance of commercial offshore fish stocks by acting as a nursery habitat for young fish.
The thick tangles of vegetation also protect the land from tropical storms by dampening the power of waves and blocking wind. Although they are battered and damaged by such storms, they always grow back. In 1991, thousands of people were killed by a tidal wave in Bangladesh, where shrimp farms had replaced mangroves, leaving them wide open to the elements.
Apart from the wonderful job they do in their chosen ecological niche, hundreds of products are derived from mangrove trees; from charcoal to construction materials, to incense and they also provide food and livelihoods for people through hunting and fishing. Overexploitation and destruction of habitat has, however, extracted a heavy toll on the mangrove. Vast areas of forest have been already lost in Southeast Asia and most parts of the world due to wood collection, conversion to agriculture, urban development and aquaculture. The incentive to clear mangroves for the production of fish and prawns is very clear in developing nations as the short term monetary gains are high. Vast tracts of Indonesian mangroves have become fishponds for these very reasons, where government regulations are either too complicated or inadequate to ensure their required conservation.
Mangroves worldwide are in decline and their future is questionable. Vast tracts of coral reefs lie smothered in sediment and swathes of land is being eroded by the sea every year as a direct result of their destruction.
Like with most of the world’s environmental catastrophes people are desperately trying to stem the tide. As the effects of mangrove degradation have become apparent, replanting initiatives have been initiated in degraded forests and mudflats. Mangrove rehabilitation around the globe is also being undertaken by government agencies, backed by the research of the private sector right down to local communities, who have begun to realize the importance of this unique ecosystem in the global web of life. So, the next time you reach out for that next prawn or someone suggests extending the Bali airport out into Benoa harbour, think again, and plant a tree instead.
