MAP News Issue 593, March 9, 2024

MAP News Issue #593 – March 9, 2024

NIGERIA – The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is a Nigerian project of the Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) saddled with the responsibility of implementing the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report 2011 on the environmental assessment of Ogoniland. One of the report’s recommendations is the cleanup of shorelines impacted by oil spills and the restoration of degraded mangroves in the region. The impact of the oil spill in Ogoni destroyed thousands of hectares of mangrove forest. There is a need to clean up and rehabilitate the impacted areas as recovery is very slow and, if left to recover naturally, would take several decades. HYPREP has mapped out over 3000 hectares of degraded mangrove in Gokana Local Government Area (LGA), one of the four LGAs of Ogoniland, where cleanup and mangrove rehabilitation have started. HYPREP commenced its pilot mangrove rehabilitation project on over 590 hectares in Bomu, a shoreline community in Gokana whose mangrove was degraded by the impact of multiple oil spills years ago. Other mangrove areas and contiguous low intertidal flats requiring remedial action would be cleaned using low-pressure flushing and safe skimming of the released oil from the agitated sediment. The cleanup and mangrove restoration process are guided and evaluated using the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT). In some parts of the Bomu mangrove, natural atenuation that can support mangrove revegetation has occurred, typified by the presence of some volunteer seedlings, but recovery is slow. This is likely due to insufficient propagule stock in the area. Unregulated mangrove harvesting removes propagules before they mature and drop to recharge the system.

KENYA – Tsunza Peninsula is a natural wonder that sits just inside the many inlets of Mombasa Island on the border between Mombasa and Kwale Counties—a little-known spectacle of lagoons, islands, and thick mangroves in Kinango Sub-County, Kwale County, on Kenya’s coastal region. This natural paradise is a beehive of activities, with fishers meandering through the creeks and returning to the shores after a dawn harvest. Dhows and motorboats glide from shore to shore, with tourists and locals travelling between the two neighboring counties. What holds these activities together are the efforts of the 45 people, 35 of them women, of the Tsunza Fish Pond and Mangrove Restoration community project. They protect, preserve, conserve, and restore Tsunza’s mangrove forest and the entire ecosystem. Mangroves are not only a critical biodiversity hotspot; they are also coastal superheroes, a first line of defense against climate-induced coastal hazards.

SRI LANKA – In a landmark achievement in the world of conservation, Sri Lanka was declared a UN World Restoration Flagship, in recognition of the nation’s vital efforts to rebuild and restore its mangrove ecosystems. The UN Flagship Restoration Award is a timely recognition of Sri Lanka’s viable, lasting solutions towards the restoration of these essential ecosystems which support countless lives and livelihoods across the island.  The nation is slated to receive the award at the United Nations Environmental Assembly which will be held in Nairobi on February 27, 2024.  The award signifies the nation’s effective use of the UN’s Principles for Ecosystem Restoration, while highlighting globally significant best practices and methodologies that can potentially serve as a framework for future success across the world. The aftermath of the 2004 tsunami and its destructive impacts on Sri Lanka’s coastline highlighted the importance of mangroves as a coastal protector. Unfortunately, the continued destruction of mangroves and the lack of a formal mechanism impeded effective conservation and restoration.

THAILAND – Kanit Sookdang, 65 years old, regularly participates in local campaigns and activities to protect community resources, improve livelihoods and support income generation. Originally from Uttaradit province, Kanit has lived in the community for 45 years and has contributed towards planting mangroves to defend her home against rising seas. Despite moving her house over 500 meters inland five times, she still faces the relentless waves and storms that are now becoming more frequent. Sleepless nights fueled her determination to inspire others in her community to take action and promote mangroves restoration. She is leading an initiative to register the area as a mangrove community forest with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).Currently, Kanit is the leader of the natural dyeing group, a village committee member, a leading representative of the elderly group, and a member of the school committee. More recently, Kanit was elected by villagers to serve as a Vice President of Khlong Prasong Community Forest Group, an honorable position where she seeks to represent a women’s voices towards conservation.As community-based tourism in Khlong Prasong continues to flourish, attracting visitors from outside, Wanida has been a key driver in fostering local involvement in forest conservation and increasing awareness on resource management to benefit the community. Through this initiative, Wanida aims to ensure a sustainable livelihood for villagers, all while adhering to regulated guidelines and safeguarding biodiversity.

PHILIPPINES – Together with the Mama Earth Foundation, Team Malizia created the Malizia Mangrove Park in the Philippines where half the mangroves were lost over the past 100 years. In teaming up with the Davao Oriental State University and local community, the goal of the park was to plant one million mangroves next to the existing ones.  “Thanks to donations and help from our partners, we are pleased to announce that we have accomplished our goal of one million mangroves”, said Boris Herrmann. “It seemed like such a big yet achievable number when we created the park in 2020. Through years of enduring efforts and donations, the Malizia Mangrove Park makes an important contribution to the restoration of this coastal ecosystem, provides a better income for local residents, and the mangroves bind large quantities of carbon dioxide. We are not finished and efforts still need to be made to fully restore the local ecosystem, so we are now setting the new goal of two million mangroves.” The Team Malizia skipper added: “Numbers aren’t our most important goal though. Our aim is to restore the coastal ecosystem to a point where the mangroves can reproduce themselves and no further human help is needed. That’s the whole idea of the park: planting mangroves in a sustainable way, with the knowledge of experts from the local University led by Dr Lea Jimenez, and by involving the local community in the restoration process. The million mark is to break down what seems like an impossible task into achievable milestones and push us to continue taking further action to protect an invaluable ecosystem.”

ECUADOR – This past August, in southern Ecuador amidst dense mangrove forests, scientists were at work. As I followed in her footsteps, Julie Shahan, a Stanford University Ph.D. student, navigated the challenging terrain, burdened by the large 25-pound piece of equipment on her back. This equipment, a gas analyzer, collects measurements to unlock the secrets of soil greenhouse gas emissions. This journey was a collaborative effort between Universidad Espíritu Santo (UEES), Stanford University, Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Environmental Defense Fund. With thick mud underfoot and a symphony of scientific measurements being collected around us, Julie deployed the gas analyzer, measuring carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the soil. The data collected during the trip will serve as the bedrock for evaluating the efficacy of the climate mitigation abilities of the impending mangrove restoration projects. Mangroves are hailed for a myriad of ecosystem services, but they face danger from the impacts of human activities. Over the past 50 years, mangroves have declined globally. In Ecuador, many mangroves have been converted to aquaculture ponds to grow shrimp. That, coupled with deforestation, poses significant threats to mangroves in this region.

GLOBAL – Since 1980, between 20 and 35 percent of all mangroves have been destroyed. There are several reasons for this, the biggest one being the shrimp industry. Between 1988 and 2008, global shrimp farming quintupled, with expansions mainly taking place in China, Thailand and Indonesia. Over five million tons of shrimp were produced around the world in 2023, with five countries — Ecuador, China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia — responsible for 74 percent of that production. Unfortunately, this massive expansion has wrought havoc on mangrove forests, which are often degraded or destroyed as a result of shrimp farmers’ efforts. According to Seafood Sustainability, an estimated 238,319 hectares of mangrove across 17 countries have been cleared to make way for shrimp farms. Given the important role mangroves play in trapping carbon, this has been disastrous for the environment. Between 30 and 122 million tons of carbon were released into the air due to mangrove clearing between 2000 and 2015, a 2018 study found. Even mangroves that aren’t completely destroyed by shrimp farms are still damaged and degraded by them. In order to provide water to their shrimp, farmers will often dig channels that divert the natural flow of fresh and saltwater away from mangroves and into shrimp ponds. This is dangerous for mangrove forests, as the reduction in saltwater makes it harder for mangrove saplings to be dispersed, and the lack of freshwater deprives mangrove trees of their life source.

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