Mangrove Loss Degradation Can Be Attributed To Socioeconomic and Biophysical Factors

According to new research into the drivers of mangrove loss over the last 20 years, the majority of the degradation can be attributed to socioeconomic and biophysical factors, with mangrove cover increasing in some areas.

Socio-economic factors were shown to drive mangrove losses and gains

(Photo : KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The study, led by the University of Queensland, calculated the change in mangrove cover along the world's coastlines over the last two decades, as per ScienceDaily.

It is the first to look at how local economic pressures, national governance, and conservation policies affect mangrove losses and gains, and how this has changed over time.

According to Dr. Valerie Hagger of University of Queensland, mangrove forests store a large amount of carbon and protect communities from storms, while also supporting fisheries and playing an important role in local economies.

To date, human land-use impacts associated with conversion to aquaculture ponds, agriculture, and urban development have been the primary cause of global mangrove loss.

What's most surprising is that, whereas most cases of economic growth result in habitat loss and degradation, this study discovered the opposite.

Over the last 20 years, travel time to the nearest city has remained a strong driver of mangrove loss as a proxy for access to markets to sell commodities such as shrimp, rice, and palm oil.

However, while economic growth, as measured by an increase in night-time lights, was a driver of mangrove loss in the first decade, it was no longer associated with increased losses in the last decade, allowing mangrove expansion.

This could be due to increased wealth and education, as well as improved agricultural productivity, which would eventually reduce economic pressure.

Researchers believed that this data will aid in future mangrove conservation efforts.

Dr. Hagger believed that assessing economic pressures on mangroves in relation to a country's governance and support for pro-conservation programs is critical to the development of effective conservation interventions.

That is why the information revealed in this study is so important: it provides valuable, and sometimes surprising, insights on both mangrove losses and gains over a long period of time.

In addition, researchers discovered a strong positive relationship between community forestry efforts and mangrove gains.

Also Read: Ancient Mangrove Ecosystem "Trapped in Time" in the Heart of the Yucatan Peninsula

Mangrove Threats and Solutions

Mangrove forests, which straddle land and sea and are teeming with life, are critical to healthy coastal ecosystems, but people have only recently begun to recognize their significance, as per the American Museum of Natural History.

Ironically, mangroves have been disappearing at an alarming rate during this time period.

According to some estimates, less than half of the world's mangrove forests remained intact at the end of the twentieth century, and half of those that did remain are in poor condition.

Mangrove forests are among the most threatened habitats on the planet, and mangrove loss is widespread.

Thailand has lost 84% of its mangroves, the most of any country, while the Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Mexico, Panama, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines have all lost more than 60% of their mangrove forests.

The majority of mangroves grow on public land, only about 1% of which is protected.

Even where there is some legal designation or protection, preserving mangroves is difficult due to development in the form of:

Farming Shrimp

The rapidly expanding shrimp aquaculture industry is by far the greatest threat to the world's mangrove forests.

Hundreds of thousands of acres of lush wetlands have been cleared to make way for shrimp-filled artificial ponds.

Shrimp farmers dig channels to supply massive amounts of freshwater and seawater to the ponds.

These water diversions disrupt the natural flow of water that keeps surrounding mangroves healthy, as well as ecosystems further inland and offshore.

Tourism

Tourism is a thriving industry and a significant source of income in many developing countries.

Unfortunately, irresponsible tourism can devastate the very resources that visitors come to see.

Tourists who hike, drive, or paddle into previously remote areas bring garbage, sewage, noise, fumes, lights, and other disturbances that can harm mangroves and surrounding ecosystems.

Walking off trails, starting fires, feeding wildlife, anchoring on reefs, and collecting shells and plants are all destructive activities.

Tourism can be sustainable when groups are small and visitors leave the environment as they found it.

Agriculture

Thousands of acres of mangrove forest have been destroyed to make way for rice paddies, rubber tree plantations, palm oil plantations, and other types of agriculture.

Farmers frequently use fertilizers and chemicals, and runoff containing these pollutants enters water supplies.

Despite their toughness, mangroves can only withstand a certain amount of industrial and agricultural pollution before dying.

Furthermore, waterways are frequently diverted for irrigation or paved over for roadways, altering the natural flow of water.

Because mangrove forests are adapted to tidal fluctuations, such changes to their habitats can be devastating.

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