Moon’s ‘wobbles’ mysteriously linked to mass mangrove tree deaths in Australia

AUSTRALIA – A wobble in the moon’s orbit around Earth affects mangrove cover across Australia and likely contributed to mass tree deaths in the Gulf of Carpentaria, new research suggests. A study published in the journal Science Advances has found that an 18.61-year cycle known as the lunar nodal cycle shapes the condition of tidal wetlands. The moon’s orbit around Earth does not occur in a flat plane. “Since the 1720s, people have known that it moves up and down by a few degrees,” said the study’s lead author, Prof Neil Saintilan of Macquarie University. He likened the motion to “when you’re spinning a coin – as it loses momentum, it kind of wobbles”. Changes in gravitational pull as a result of this lunar wobble are known to affect the Earth’s tides. Previous research conducted by Nasa scientists has predicted that in the mid-2030s, the lunar wobble will amplify rising sea levels caused by climate change, resulting in high-tide floods along coastlines. Depending on the phase of the lunar nodal cycle, there can be “as much as 40cm of difference in the tide range” in places such as the Gulf of Carpentaria, Saintilan said. READ MORE

AFRICA

Call for increased push to halt deforestation and enhance restoration

DRC – Concrete action is needed to halt ‘alarming trends’ of deforestation and forest degradation in Africa, the 23rd Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) heard last week in Kinshasa. Participants from 53 countries took part in the meeting under the theme “The role of forests and wildlife in building resilience and recovery from crises and threats”. Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the AFWC provides one of the region’s most important inter-governmental forums for discussion of issues relating to forestry and wildlife on the continent. Attendees heard Africa hosts 16 percent of the world’s forests and that deforestation rates in the region have slowed by 23 percent from 2000 to 2018. However, when rates of deforestation and forest expansion are considered, the average annual rate of net forest loss in Africa rose to 3.9 million hectares from 2010 to 2020, the region’s highest net loss of forest area in three decades. In particular, cropland expansion but also the conversion of forests to grassland were cited as the main drivers of forest losses in the region. READ MORE

With forests abound, Africa looks to grow its carbon market

KENYA – In villages dotted across the African continent, locals living in once-heavily forested regions are starting to find their land in high demand. In Kenya’s Gazi Bay, arguably the continent’s most famous mangrove restoration project, thousands of trees have been planted thanks to nearly a decade of concerted efforts to offset carbon dioxide released by faraway governments and companies seeking to improve their climate credentials. The initiative was one of Africa’s first steps into the carbon market, where credits to emit greenhouse gases can be bought or sold. Since then, dozens of similar schemes have sprouted across the continent, with African governments now looking to capitalize on this exploding global industry. The continent is home to huge swaths of carbon-absorbing lands, with forest covering roughly 674 million hectares, or 22.7%, of Africa, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. The Cuvette-Centrale Peatlands deep in the Congo Basin are alone capable of locking in up to 30 billion tons of carbon, or three years worth of the world’s emissions. Waterside mangrove forests, which are more effective at sucking carbon out of the air than their land counterparts, have swelled in places like Gazi. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Researchers study how to best support Florida mangrove, coral reef ecosystems

USA – At a time when developers are cutting down mangroves and building in such a way that’s harming coral reefs, scientists will work with community members on solutions and policy changes. A team of researchers led by the University of South Florida is getting $20 million from the National Science Foundation to develop solutions to protect and replenish coral reef and mangrove ecosystems. Coral reefs and mangroves safeguard our coasts by reducing flooding, erosion and wave intensity during storms. They also provide habitat for marine life. Mangroves serve as fish nurseries, and coral reefs help fish hideout, as well. So, in terms of the benefit to biodiversity, these are two really important ecosystems. But mangroves are removed for development and coral reefs are threatened by pollution and rising temperatures. Now, USF is collaborating with University of Miami, Boston University, Stanford University, University of California Santa Cruz, University of Virgin Islands and East Carolina University to combine natural features with artificial infrastructure to help these ecosystems thrive. The scientists will look into hybrid models for coral reef and mangrove restoration, such as using concrete or cement to assist in mangrove planting so that they are protected and able to grow. READ MORE

ASIA

Sinking villages look to nature to help Indonesia restore mangroves

INDONESIA – In a coastal community on Indonesia’s Java island, villagers must constantly take soil and stones to local graveyards to secure the resting places of their dead friends and relatives – fearful that frequent flooding will sweep away the deceased. Like other flood-prone villages in the northern Demak regency, Timbulsloko’s problems are threefold – with over-extraction of groundwater causing sinking, aquaculture contributing to some of the worst coastal erosion across the archipelago, and sea levels rising due to climate change. The more than 3,000 people in Timbulsloko, who refuse to abandon their homes, often pay for trucks to transport dirt and rocks from nearby mountainous areas in order to protect graves, and to elevate their houses above the rising waters. “Since 2008, there is more flooding because of coastal erosion,” said fisherman Suratno, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, sitting on the floor of his one-storey house, where the front door was blocked by ankle-deep flood waters. “Every day there is flooding – the morning, afternoon or at night,” the 51-year-old told the Thomson Reuters Foundation last month. READ MORE

Restoring Myanmar’s Mangroves

MYANMAR – Myanmar is believed to be experiencing one of the highest rates of mangrove loss in the world. When a company bought land containing a mangrove forest in the country’s Tanintharyi region, with plans to convert it into prawn farms, the local community fought back. The villagers had previously been unable to stop the purchase of an initial tranche of land, but when the company returned in an attempt to buy another 283 hectares of mangrove, locals were prepared; they had received a Securing Community Forest certificate, which served as a bulwark against further deforestation. A local non-profit organization, Green Network Tanintharyi Region (GNTR) has so far helped 20 villages receive certification. READ MORE

Indonesia may lose 26,100 ha mangrove area per year

INDONEIA – Indonesia could lose 26,100 hectares of mangroves per year due to land conversion arising from the development of infrastructure, aquaculture, and illegal logging, the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) has cautioned. Deforestation and conversion of the mangrove ecosystem would release carbon stored underground and impact the climate targets stated in Indonesia’s nationally determined contributions (NDC) document, BRGM secretary Ayu Dewi Utari said at the “The Climate Corner” discussion, which was followed online from here on Wednesday. The mangrove ecosystem has the potential to store a large amount of carbon and the conversion of the ecosystem can release carbon stocks underground, she added. “According to a study, with the existing mangrove area of 3.36 million hectares, based on the 2021 National Mangrove Map, plus the potential of 752 thousand hectares of mangrove ecosystem, Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystem is estimated to store carbon reserves of up to 3,638 megatons of CO2,” she elaborated. READ MORE

FEATURED VIDEOS

Climate Change Stresses El Salvador’s Mangrove Forests

EL SALVADOR – In El Salvador, climate change is stressing the country’s mangrove forests. Some coastal communities are working with nongovernmental organizations to save these important areas that protect the coastline. For VOA News, Claudia Zaldaña visited the area and has the report. Video editor: Cristina Caicedo Smit WATCH VIDEO

Thousands of volunteers come out for International Coastal Cleanup Day

USA – More than 22,000 lbs. of trash were picked up from our South Florida shorelines, streets and waterways in just one day, but all of that is unfortunately just a drop in the bucket. WATCH VIDEO