At the frontline

Abstract

Mangroves are at the frontline in the fight against the consequences of climate change. Michael Gross reports. Mangroves are at the frontline in the fight against the consequences of climate change. Michael Gross reports. As the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami very drastically reminded the world, mangroves can provide coastal areas with natural protection, but on many tropical coasts these intertidal woody plants are losing terrain to the growing tourism industry. By working out strategies for mangrove protection, environmentalists hope to protect both sensitive plant and animal species, along with the human inhabitants of the endangered coastal areas as well. The international environmental charity Earthwatch has supported mangrove research in Kenya and Sri Lanka for several years, with the objectives not only of understanding the ecology of mangroves but also of raising awareness of their importance among local communities and decision-makers, such as to avert land-use decisions that threaten to decimate existing mangrove forests and lead to coastal erosion and land deterioration. Research supported by the charity in Kenya by Mark Huxham of Edinburgh Napier University, James Kairo of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute and Martin Skov of Bangor University so far has shown that mangrove forests serve as important habitats for many animal species and nurseries for fish, and that, once destroyed by human influence, they can be very slow to regenerate. In a separate study published this month, US researchers David Luther and Russell Greenberg report that nearly half of the 69 terrestrial vertebrate species depending on mangroves are already threatened by extinction. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has so far only assessed 27 of these species and classified 13 as threatened in their Red List. Based on the earlier findings of Huxham, Kairo and Skov, Earthwatch has now launched a five-year project on mangrove protection in Kenya with support from the insurance company Aviva. The research aims to quantify the carbon storage capacity of mangroves and to investigate how local communities can best create and maintain mangrove plantations, which they can exploit as a sustainable source of timber. Aviva employees will be able to gain first-hand experience by working as volunteer helpers in the research project. Louella Eastman, Aviva's Corporate Responsibility Director, commented: “As an insurer we understand only too well the human and economic cost of floods, storms and extreme weather. This research supports our commitment to provide carbon finance in Africa — something we believe is urgently needed.” Meanwhile, in the Indian Ocean region, another initiative is aiming to promote the protection of mangroves. Mangroves for the Future (MFF) was initiated by IUCN and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), and now also involves several other international organisations. MFF focuses on the countries worst hit by the 2004 tsunami, i.e. India, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. While highlighting mangroves as an important flagship ecosystem of its efforts in the region, the MFF is also looking at the conservation of other features, including coral reefs and estuaries. In the Indian Ocean region, even more than in Kenya, mangroves are literally at the front line of the battle against consequences of climate change, but first we will have to find efficient ways of protecting the mangroves to help them to protect us.