Mangrove restoration—natural protection from natural disasters

Abstract

The loss of the mangrove ecosystem, the vital interface between land and sea in many areas of the Indian Ocean, greatly augmented the impact of the Asian tsunami of December 2004. Shrimp farming is considered to be the number one cause of mangrove forest loss by many researchers while other causes of loss include tourism, charcoal and oil industries, urban expansion, dams, and pollution problems. Mangrove forests offer refuge and nursery grounds for many species in their shallow inter-tidal reaches juvenile fish, crabs, shrimps, and molluscs. Mangroves are also prime nesting and migratory sites for hundreds of bird species as well as Manatees. Crab-eating Monkeys, Fishing Cats, Monitor Lizards and Sea Turtles. There were warnings of the dangers of mangrove loss, largely ignored. Stricter local regulations and political will are required to protect this life-protecting ecosystem by establishing mangrove greenbelts. Effective mangrove restoration programs require: cooperation with local communities, understanding of individual species ecology, knowledge of the normal hydrologic patterns, knowledge of the modifications in the previous mangrove environment that prevent natural secondary succession, and finally determination of the rehabilitation method to be utilized.