MAP News Issue 416 – May 13, 2017

AFRICA

The Last Mangroves of the Seychelles

SEYCHELLES – When French settlers first arrived in the remote islands of the Seychelles, thick mangrove forests fringed the western shore of Mahe, the largest of the islands in the archipelago. Inside the green coastal forests, giant crocodiles roamed through the tangled branches, as well as many species of fish, crab and birds. The woodlands were a paradise of diversity, and beyond the mangroves, a healthy and colourful coral reef ecosystem propagated. But during french settlement in the late 17 and 1800s, much of the mangrove forest was cleared to make way for development; houses, harbours and aquaculture. Today, one of the few mangrove forests on Mahe Island is found in a thin valley in the north of the Island called Port Launay, a Ramsar Site of International Importance. “This mangrove is one of the last and best-remaining mangrove in the Seychelles,” Markus Ultsch-Unrath tells me as we paddle in a kayak along the tidal river the bisects the Port Launay mangrove forest, floating beside the tangled branches and mangrove trees that plunge into the muddy banks. READ MORE

Community Turns Mangrove Swamps into Money Bank

LIBERIA – Residents of Fedrick’s Island in New Matadi, Monrovia are transforming mangrove swamps into sources of income by introducing “cage aquaculture.” Mangrove swamps are home to a variety of fish, crab, shrimp and other species; and they serve as an important source of food and income generation. However, mangrove swamps in Liberia suffer from high volumes of waste including plastic bags and bottles, human feces and other substances that affect mangrove species. But despite the misuse of mangrove swamps, Fubbi Henries, a resident of the Matadi community in Monrovia is working with low income community members to make mangrove swamps a source of income. Through his agro program, Henries has introduced “cage aquaculture” as an income generating opportunity for Fredrick’s Island residents in New Matadi. READ MORE

ASIA

Gender equality: A game changer for nature

THAILAND – Though Asia’s unprecedented economic growth has brought many benefits to its communities through higher incomes and a better quality of life, it has also exacerbated threats to the region’s ecosystems through natural habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, due to commercial, agricultural and industrial activity. Rates of mangrove, wetland and forest loss in Asia are among the highest in the world; 95 percent of Southeast Asian coral reefs are at risk; and almost 1,400 plants and animals in the region are listed as Critically Endangered and Endangered. All is not lost, though. Thankfully, this is the 21st century, and the vital role of gender equality, equity and inclusion in conservation and environmental protection has been receiving increasing attention from both the scientific and political community. A large number of international organisations have been relentlessly advocating for the empowerment of women, and for them to take real ownership of the ecosystems on which they rely. For instance, IUCN’s gender policy calls for the promotion of equity and equality as a crucial factor for environmental sustainability, and as an integral part of all conservation efforts. READ MORE

Mumbai lost 20 acres of mangrove forests to debris in 7 years, made way for encroachers

INDIA – Dumping of debris has destroyed more than 20 acres of mangrove forests in Charkop, Kandivli in Mumbai over the past seven years, making way for encroachment by 3,000 shanties and private properties. The violations were brought to light on Wednesday during a monthly meeting of the Maharashtra government’s committee for protection and conservation of mangroves, which was attended by suburban collector, police personnel, mangrove cell, Konkan divisional commissioner and civic officials. “Closer to the Manori creek, there is a 100-acre mangrove patch. But in the corners of Charkop village, builders and land mafia have reduced the cover to barren patches,” said Reji Abraham, environmentalist and member of the committee, who shows the maps and pictures of the destruction at the meeting. “Local authorities have helped builders in hacking mangrove trees and building prime property.” READ MORE

Sea cucumber hatchery to give momentum to industry

SRI LANKA – The construction of a new sea cucumber hatchery was initiated in Mannar at a cost of Rs 180 million rupees, says Nimal Chandraratne, the director general of National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka. Once completed this year, the hatchery will produce a million juvenile sea cucumbers annually, Chandraratne assured. A study funded by the Mangroves for the Future, carried out for six months between October 2013 and June 2014 by the University of Jaffna, found that the population is depleted in the Jaffna Lagoon. The sea cucumber species called sandfish (holothuria scabra) that has higher value in the market is now categorized as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN Red List of threatened fauna. So the industry is doomed to collapse without intervention. Fisheries expert Dr Steve Creech, emphasized the importance of having a management strategy for Sri Lanka’s sea cucumber fishery to save the free living population. He recognizes the issue of open access for Sri Lankan sea cucumber fisheries that will further deplete the natural living species. So he suggests there should be harvest control strategies based on annual assessment of the status of the stocks. Dr Creech thinks that sea cucumber farming is a good development with low impact on the environment and ecosystem and fishing. READ MORE

Mangrove crab: Ecologically significant and economically promising

INDONESIA – Since 2000, Situbondo’s mangrove coverage has been reduced significantly, largely due to large-scale conversion of mangrove forests into shrimp ponds and for milkfish aquaculture along the coast of Mangaran, a sub-district in Situbondo. This conversion, and the absence of a coastal green belt, have led to coastal erosion and a loss of around 50-100 m of land. Many fishponds have been destroyed by the coastal erosion, resulting in the loss of livelihoods for some communities. To strengthen the resilience of ecosystem-dependent coastal communities, the socio-economic development of the communities living near the mangrove ecosystem is equally as important as the mangrove rehabilitation itself. A project in Tanjung Pecinan village, Mangaran, Situbondo, implemented by Samir Bamboo Conservation (SAMBACO) under a Mangroves for the Future (MFF) grant, aims to protect mangroves against sea abrasion through mangrove rehabilitation and livelihood development activities in Mangaran. Crab fattening was identified as an alternative livelihood that could increase the income of communities in Tanjung Pecinan village. In crab fattening, wild-caught juvenile crabs weighing about 100-150 grams are put in floating bamboo cages that are 1m by 1.5 m in size. Every cage fits up to 40-50 crabs. The crabs are fed two times a day, in the morning and evening, for 20 days. After 20 days, the crabs weigh 200-250 grams and are ready to be harvested by community groups. READ MORE

Impact of 2004 Asian tsunami could have been reduced with mangroves

INDONESIA – The indigenous people of Pahawang Island – a speck in a bay at the eastern end of Sumatra – already knew that. In the 1980s and 1990s, the mangrove forests fringing their island were over-exploited. They were turned into charcoal by Korean companies, cut down for timber, and converted to fish ponds by migrants from East Java. By the early 2000s, coastal erosion had become a huge problem for the islanders. Houses, agricultural land and fish ponds were swept away in storms, fish no longer bred among the looping mangrove roots, and malaria and dengue outbreaks became more common. So village leaders got together and pioneered their own innovative governance system for their mangroves. They divided the mangrove area into three territories – a strict “protection zone” and a “utilisation zone” where limited timber harvesting was allowed. They also identified areas for reforesting, and secured seedlings and funding. READ MORE

AMERICAS

New Spanish website on mangroves and climate change
PANAMA – The “Protection of carbon pool and sinks in wetlands and protected areas in Panamá” project has launched its new website, creating the online reference on mangroves and climate change in Spanish. It fills a gap in online information in Spanish on this topic and is the place to go for information on mangroves’ ecosystem services related to climate change, educational materials and publications. The project has developed an animated video, called The Importance of Mangroves for Climate Change, which is accessed on the site as well. In addition, many educational materials from other projects in the region of Latin America are published on the site, thereby reducing the need for hours of needless searching. VISIT SITE

LAST WORD

Dear Teachers and School Children Worldwide

We are looking for children’s mangrove art for our 2018 Children’s Art Calendar. Do you have a project in your school? Would you like to participate in our annual calendar contest? Let us know.

Email me to let me know what plans you are making, or to ask questions about the program. We’d love to hear from your school about how Mangroves are part of your life, your community and your future!

Looking forward to seeing your submissions!

Monica Quarto
Mangorve Action Project Children’s Art Director
monicagquarto@olympus.net