MAP News Issue 435 – Feb 3, 2018

Mangrove Restoration Beginning to Bear Fruit

EL SALVADOR – Sometimes, progress means helping nature do what it does best. This seems to be the case for a once-barren 200-acre piece of land surrounded by lush mangrove forests in El Salvador. The most extensive remaining mangrove forest in Central America is located in the Bay of Jiquilisco in the Lower Lempa region of El Salvador. At 632 square kilometers, the Bay of Jiquilisco is El Salvador’s largest wetlands complex and protected area, designated as both a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.sh, a nesting habitat for birds, and a breeding ground for sea turtles. Unfortunately, El Salvador has lost 60% of its mangrove coverage since 1950 and continues to lose mangroves at a rate of 681 hectares (just under 7 square kilometers) each year (MARN 2014). Climate change, deforestation, pollution, large-scale agricultural development, and over-exploitation of natural resources continue to threaten this critical resource. This loss threatens the livelihoods and safety of the communities and wildlife that depend on the health of this ecosystem for their survival. READ MORE

 

AFRICA

Fishermen turn mangrove protectors, successfully farm crabs in estuaries

UAE – Cruising the Arabian Sea’s azure waters fringed by green mangroves on the 121km-long coastline beginning with the coastal village of Vijaydurg to Shiroda in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, one can see fishing nets supported by long bamboo poles amid the mangroves. The nets and poles stand testimony to crab farming, the local fisher folks’ newfound livelihood. Rapid development has put enormous pressure on coastal ecosystems, leading to degradation and destruction. Mangroves are no exception. Till recently, mangroves were considered to be of no economic importance; they were uprooted or felled and used as fuel wood But that is changing, thanks to the growing awareness about the importance of kharpit, as mangroves are known locally among the coastal communities. Government and development institutions have been broadening awareness by introducing crab farming in mangroves. READ MORE

UAE mangroves the largest in the Gulf, study finds

UAE – After decades of conservation, the mangroves in the UAE have grown to become the largest in the Arabian Gulf coast, according to a new study. Analysis of satellite images acquired from the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology recently published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment show that the UAE is now home to nearly 50 per cent of all mangroves in the region. Moreover, the mangrove coverage in the Emirates has nearly doubled. “Plantation and rehabilitation projects, primarily in Abu Dhabi, have played an important role in preserving and increasing mangroves throughout the years,” Dr Hanan Almahasheer, assistant biology professor at the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Damman wrote in an article published in January called Spatial coverage of mangrove communities in the Arabian Gulf. It read: “Where they used to cover 40 square kilometres along the UAE coastlines on the Arabian Gulf and one site on the Gulf of Oman coast, at Khor Kalba, now they are extensively found along UAE coastlines with about 79 square kilometres, comprising 48 per cent of the overall mangroves in the region.” READ MORE

Liberia Wetlands Under Grave Threat
LIBERIA – Often ignored by policymakers and wittingly or unwittingly subjected to abuse by the public at large, wetlands are under grave threat of degradation by Liberians and foreign residents alike. The threat to wetlands is posed mainly by discarded waste, over hunting and fishing as well as the harvesting of wood fuel particularly in coastal mangroves. Such waste, including but not limited to plastic bags, medical waste, human feces and dirty or used fuel, threatens marine species in the various wetlands. Environmentalists and other concerned stakeholders have consistently called for urgent and practical action aimed at protecting wetlands from abuse. But such concerns have often gone unheeded by authorities responsible for environmental conservation and protection. Reports from urban areas with coastal mangroves such as Robertsport, Monrovia, Buchanan, Marshall, say wood harvested from mangroves are highly prized by local people for drying fish. There are also reports of the use of dynamite to kill fish. Even marine turtles and crocodiles are said to be under threat from poaching activities. READ MORE

ASIA

Mega developments set to transform a tranquil Cambodian bay

CAMBODIA – Sim Him has organized the planting of more than 200,000 mangrove trees in Cambodia’s Trapeang Sangke estuary. The surrounding ecosystem, which feeds thousands of families, is thriving. But the nearby construction of a ferry terminal and a luxury resort are upsetting the estuary’s equilibrium, and development projects continue west along the coastline from there.Dotted along a 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) coastal strip, no less than six large-scale developments present a direct threat to healthy mangrove forests and the fishing communities they support. Aside from being a nursery for sealife and a barrier to erosion, mangroves are also one of the planet’s most effective carbon neutralizers, capable of capturing and storing it for millennia. The ferry terminal, being built with an $18 million loan from the Asian Development Bank, aims to bring passengers from nearby Thai and Vietnamese resort islands — upward of 360,000 of them a year, starting in 2019. An environmental assessment conducted in 2014 found that the terminal could harm mangrove forests and would destroy seagrass meadows. Earlier this month, an Asian Development Bank officer reported that a revised environmental management plan would be published in the first quarter of 2018. The project was approved by the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance and has been well publicized. The remainder of the projects, however, have been less transparent. READ MORE

On behalf of the dying and dead iloilo river mangroves

PHILIPPINES – What irony that while mangroves are being nurtured back to life in Nabitasan, Leganes, Iloilo, the gradual but wholesale killing of mangroves by drowning with water and/or dumped sediments continues along the Iloilo River despite feedback, even outrage, from media, civil society, other concerned citizens, and even the DA Secretary. All these lead to the conclusion that the objective at the very start (of DPWH and local city government officials) was to remove and replace the mangroves with commercial development. That is, profits over environmental concerns (climate change, protective greenbelts) and human needs (fisheries, flood regulation). If we want Ilonggos and other visitors to enjoy the mangroves, all we need is a 2-meter boardwalk (that allows free-flowing water) to walk on, and NOT a 5-m wide solid earthen dike. But we need the wide, solid dike if want to drive cars and put up shops along the Iloilo River. READ MORE

Myanmar to plant protective mangrove forest along southern coast against natural disasters
MYANMAR – Myanmar is planning to plant a mangrove forest along the Gulf of Mottma in the southern coast of the country, aimed at protecting people from natural disasters, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday. A field survey is being conducted by the Yangon Region Fishery Department on growing more than 27,700 acres (11,218 hectares) of mangroves in five coastal township areas of Thanlyin, Kyauktan, Kayan, Thonegwa and Kunchangone. The department will choose the coverage area for the protected forest under the management of the regional government which will pay compensation and provide land substitutes to local farmers, U Tun Win Myint, head of the department was quoted as saying.Meanwhile, the township administration has prohibited land reclamation, land digging and tree cutting in the chosen areas. READ MORE

Environmentalist Afroz Shah's Book Inspires State Mangrove Cell Top Clean Up Dahisar Mangroves

INDIA – The state is taking a leaf out of environmentalist Afroz Shah's book to save the mangrove forests of the city. Inspired by Shah's clean-up drives at Versova beach, the state mangroves cell has started its own operation to clear out all the plastic that is choking the mangrove forests at Gorai as well as Dahisar. Workers have managed to collect three tonnes of garbage daily for the past two weeks, but officials warn that this is still not enough. The mangroves cell has deployed 30 workers to cleanse the mangroves — 20 at Dahisar, and 10 at Gorai. In the past two weeks, they have picked up over 25 tonnes of litter from both spots. Range Forest Officer Prashant Deshmukh said, "Every day, we collect two to three tonnes of plastic waste that's carried into the mangroves by the tides. The BMC has promised us that it will lift the litter that we have collected." Thanks to clean-up marshals posted at various spots along the Gorai shoreline, it is not as far gone as Dahisar, where massive quantities of waste wash up at the mangroves every day. A lot of the waste comes from the sea, or even from nullahs and creeks in slum pockets, where residents throw their garbage into the water, as there is no garbage collection system in place there. READ MORE

AMERICAS

MAP Co-founder Presents at World Ocean Conference- Sustainable Ocean Summit-2017

CANADA – The 2017 Sustainable Ocean Summit – the fifth international, cross-sectoral ocean industry conference on “Corporate Ocean Responsibility” brought together senior representatives from a diverse range of ocean industries around the theme of “The Ocean Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14): Business Leadership and Business Opportunities”. The SOS 2017 theme recognizes: The growth of the Ocean Economy and its contribution to food, energy, transport, communications and other needs of society as part of the U.N. SDG process/Agenda 2030. The role of the Ocean Business Community over the next 15 years, and beyond, in ensuring ocean sustainable development. This conference has attracted those interested in industry leadership and collaboration to address ocean sustainability, science and stewardship. Around 250 representatives from shipping, oil and gas, fisheries, aquaculture, ports, mining, finance, renewable offshore energy, tourism, marine technology and other industries, as well as representatives from other key ocean stakeholders attended. READ MORE

OCEANA

Mangroves necessary to protect against flooding

NEW ZEALAND – Flooding in Miranda during the January 5 storm would have been much worse without mangroves, an expert says. Professor of environmental studies Gordon Maxwell has studied mangroves for 50 years. He has been supporting Miranda farmers whose pasture was destroyed after being inundated by seawater during the storm, which also flooded homes in Kaiaua and the Thames Coast. The damage would have been much worse without mangroves, which provided a sustainable buffer that anchored the mud and were a natural protector of stop banks, he said. "Our mangrove is actually very good because a lot of the root system is not seen and it holds the sediment. It's doing it here in the stop banks." Maxwell lives in Hikutaia, near Paeroa, and travels to Hong Kong and Thailand for several months of the year to help with the Thailand mangrove restoration project. The importance of mangroves was understood in those countries, where mangroves were being replanted to protect against typhoons, he said. axwell has concerns about the Thames–Coromandel District Council and Hauraki District Council Mangrove Management Bill, which aims to allow the councils to maintain acceptable levels of mangrove vegetation in order to restore, protect or enhance the amenity values and/or ecosystems of the coastal area. READ MORE

GLOBAL

MAP's 18th Annual Calendar competition open to all schools

WORLDWIDE – We invite all school children aged 6 -16 years from tropical and sub-tropical nations, to create art telling us “why mangroves are important to my community and me?” Selected winners will be published in the 2019 calendar to be distributed internationally to raise awareness of mangrove forest ecology. This colorful calendar has increased in popularity since its first publication in 2002. The 2019 calendar is our 18th edition. We would like to invite children from your country to join in this fantastic creative and educational competition. It is an opportunity for the younger generation to learn about the vital role Mangroves play in the lives of coastal communities and marine life around the world whilst letting them explore their imagination and have fun when creating their pieces of art. This contest aims to promote appreciation and awareness of mangrove forests and communities, while encouraging and listening to creative voices of children living in mangrove regions. JOIN THE CONTEST

 

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