Planethopia

Last report by the U.N. Environmental Program or UNEP showed that about a one fifth of the world’s mangroves have been lost since 1980. It is more than 36 square kilometers of forests that are straddling both land and sea and that destruction is four times faster than the world’s land based forests.

Destruction has slowed to 0.7 % a year as the study showed but even that can cause costal destruction and could cause financial and ecological havoc. Few studies before estimated mangroves generate from 2000$ to 9000$ per hectare annually just from fishing what is more than the aquaculture, agriculture and tourism.

Mangroves are found widely around the planet in even 123 countries covering 150,000 square kilometers but the biggest concentration is in Indonesia – 21%. Second is Brazil with 9% followed with 7% in Australia. Preserving the diversity of mangroves is essential to maintain diversity in ecosystems and very important for nearby living local population with it’s economically impact.

Most important fact is that a lot of animal live like mussels, crabs, oysters depend on mangroves. Study estimates that almost 30 percent of all fish catch and near 100 percent of shrimp catch connects to mangroves in southeast Asian countries. Mangroves’ wood is dense, rot and very resistant to termites thus is used as timber or charcoal.

Authors of World Atlas of Mangroves are optimistic and say that mangroves can be restored even to help us fight climate change because their ecosystem is incredibly resilient.

“These are habitats that are going to be around with us if we just look after them and the economic benefits will just accrue. There has been sustainable use of mangroves in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia for over a century.”

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