JULY 26 is MANGROVE ACTION DAY!
A Call To Action July 26th, 2015
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| “Under It All” photo by Deanna Kathrina Maranion |
Mangrove Action Project joins the International Day for the Mangrove
Mangrove.is: health, food, economy, biodiversity, and sustainability
Mangrove Action Project joins Redmanglar and other conservation groups for
another year to celebrate International Day for the Mangrove.
A Bit of Historical Background:
To understand the significance of the 26th of July
we need to go back a little in time. It was 1998 when the communities of
ancestral users of the mangroves of Ecuador decided to join forces in a big campaign
where the local and national media were invited. They received the support from
members of various organizations from Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, the United
States (all of them, at that moment, part of a growing global network opposing
shrimp farm expansion) and the members of the worldwide crew of the Greenpeace
ship Rainbow Warrior.
we need to go back a little in time. It was 1998 when the communities of
ancestral users of the mangroves of Ecuador decided to join forces in a big campaign
where the local and national media were invited. They received the support from
members of various organizations from Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, the United
States (all of them, at that moment, part of a growing global network opposing
shrimp farm expansion) and the members of the worldwide crew of the Greenpeace
ship Rainbow Warrior.
On the 26th
of July, the communities joined in a
concerted action to re-establish the mangrove wetlands in an illegal shrimp
pond. The action involved members in breaking down the walls of the shrimp pond
and replanting mangrove seedlings in the drained pond soil. That same day, the National Coordinator in Defense of
the Mangroves in Ecuador was created. A public statement was delivered to the
National Authorities at that time, demanding a stop to the mangrove destruction
and promoting the concession of the mangroves to the organized grassroots
communities of the mangroves.
of July, the communities joined in a
concerted action to re-establish the mangrove wetlands in an illegal shrimp
pond. The action involved members in breaking down the walls of the shrimp pond
and replanting mangrove seedlings in the drained pond soil. That same day, the National Coordinator in Defense of
the Mangroves in Ecuador was created. A public statement was delivered to the
National Authorities at that time, demanding a stop to the mangrove destruction
and promoting the concession of the mangroves to the organized grassroots
communities of the mangroves.
To feed the consumer demand for shrimp in the US, EU
and Japan, mangrove forests have been cut, people have been driven away from
their land, and soil and water have been polluted for more than thirty years in
tropical countries. Industrial shrimp farming has caused about 35 percent of
the worldwide loss of mangroves. Mangrove forests are a crucial ecosystem – the
breeding place for wild fisheries, tremendous carbon sinks and vital habitat
for scores of animals. Mangroves also offer the coastal communities food,
medicines and protection against hurricanes and tsunamis.
and Japan, mangrove forests have been cut, people have been driven away from
their land, and soil and water have been polluted for more than thirty years in
tropical countries. Industrial shrimp farming has caused about 35 percent of
the worldwide loss of mangroves. Mangrove forests are a crucial ecosystem – the
breeding place for wild fisheries, tremendous carbon sinks and vital habitat
for scores of animals. Mangroves also offer the coastal communities food,
medicines and protection against hurricanes and tsunamis.
Since 1998 the 26th
of July has been called the
“International Day of Mangroves” or “Mangrove Action Day,”
commemorating the Greenpeace activist Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, who died of a heart
attack while involved in a massive protest action in Ecuador led by the
environmental organizations FUNDECOl (Ecuador) and the crew from the Greenpeace
flagship Rainbow Warrior.
of July has been called the
“International Day of Mangroves” or “Mangrove Action Day,”
commemorating the Greenpeace activist Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, who died of a heart
attack while involved in a massive protest action in Ecuador led by the
environmental organizations FUNDECOl (Ecuador) and the crew from the Greenpeace
flagship Rainbow Warrior.
“… the 26th
of July is the day when we all,
communities and organizations working in defense of the mangroves, joined for
the first time as (in the Bible) little “Davids” confronting a big
“Goliath” which is the shrimp industry. That is the main point in
this celebration, but please, don’t forget Nanoto who left his life in the
mangroves of Muisne…”
of July is the day when we all,
communities and organizations working in defense of the mangroves, joined for
the first time as (in the Bible) little “Davids” confronting a big
“Goliath” which is the shrimp industry. That is the main point in
this celebration, but please, don’t forget Nanoto who left his life in the
mangroves of Muisne…”
From Veronica of FUNDECOL in Ecuador
We at Mangrove Action Project again join forces with
our friends around the world to celebrate the 17th International Mangrove
Action Day on July 26th. We wish to invite all reading this message
to please join us in this Day of Action and Solidarity with the global struggle
to Save the Mangroves! It is only through our cooperative, global actions will
we succeed!
our friends around the world to celebrate the 17th International Mangrove
Action Day on July 26th. We wish to invite all reading this message
to please join us in this Day of Action and Solidarity with the global struggle
to Save the Mangroves! It is only through our cooperative, global actions will
we succeed!
This Mangrove Action Day, please step forward with MAP
to help reverse the loss of mangrove forests and protect the rights of coastal
communities to sustainably manage and conserve their coastal wetlands and the
myriad of life sustained by the mangroves. Help us at MAP counter climate
change and species extinction. Help us restore the habitat of our oceans’
marine life, the last hunting grounds of the Bengal tiger and the refuge for
countless migratory birds, mammals and insects. Please act today for the life
of our mother planet, for all of our future and the future of our children’s
children!
to help reverse the loss of mangrove forests and protect the rights of coastal
communities to sustainably manage and conserve their coastal wetlands and the
myriad of life sustained by the mangroves. Help us at MAP counter climate
change and species extinction. Help us restore the habitat of our oceans’
marine life, the last hunting grounds of the Bengal tiger and the refuge for
countless migratory birds, mammals and insects. Please act today for the life
of our mother planet, for all of our future and the future of our children’s
children!
For the Mangroves and the
Mangrove Communities!
Mangrove Communities!
Alfredo
Quarto, Executive Director
Quarto, Executive Director
Mangrove
Action Project
Action Project
