![]() They're also trained in shellfish culture, while local girls and young women are awarded scholarships so they can attend school. In Myanmar, 70% of the planters in one such project are women. ![]() Women are also active members of the community beneficiary organisations (CBOs) – the groups set up to protect the mangroves – and take part in decision-making processes. Over the past decade, some mangrove conservation schemes have offered new opportunities for women, including training and grants so they have the skills and backing to generate their own incomes. 5 6 Now, deforestation is being reduced and even reversed – and, as is true of a lot of these schemes, women are being empowered. On the island of Madagascar, a scheme run by the conservation group Blue Ventures succeeded where others had failed by giving autonomy to the community to patrol the conservation zones themselves.Īs an alternative to harvesting timber, sustainable incomes are managed, including sea cucumber and seaweed farming, and beekeeping. Involving the community in mangrove conservation from the outset is essential for any project to succeed. ![]() Mangrove saplings were also planted as part of this community-led initiative. As part of the project, casuarina trees were planted for as an alternative source of wood that could be sold for construction poles and firewood. In exchange for ensuring the health of the coastal mangroves, the project sells carbon credits, which can be bought in the form of an offset. In 2013, 117 hectares (289 acres) of mangrove forest around Gazi became a conservation area under the Mikoko Pamoja carbon offset project. Today, however, a programme of mangrove reforestation has created new and legal financial opportunities, resulting in criminal activity in the region dropping by 90% over a six-year period, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service. Without fish, locals in places such as Gazi turned to logging as well as illegal poaching of elephant and rhino. By 2009, some areas had lost over 80% of their mangroves, causing a reduction in the fish stocks that villagers relied on for their livelihoods. 4īelieve it or not, resurrected mangrove forests have all-but ended criminal activity in parts of Kenya. Globally, 35% have been lost over the past 40 years 3 and they are being razed faster than tropical rainforests. But despite all the good that they do, mangrove forests are under threat from humans. Impressively, they can absorb up to four times more carbon than a rainforest the same size, 2 and because they are submerged under tidal water when they die, the carbon is buried with them. Mangrove ecosystems are powerful carbon sinks, sucking up carbon dioxide from the air to store in their roots and branches. They are also vital in the battle against climate change itself. Using mangroves as sea defences is five times more cost-effective than man-made alternatives. ![]() With the climate changing, severe weather events are becoming more frequent and sea levels are rising. Mangroves provide a formidable defence too against events such as storms and tsunamis. The roots of the trees filter the water by trapping sediment, which slows coastal erosion, stabilises the shore, and stops sediment from damaging coral reefs and seagrass meadows. But aside from providing a home for marine life and supporting people’s livelihoods, mangrove forests protect the structure of the coastline itself. The areas surrounding some of the forests are popular destinations for ecotourists, and revenue from activities such as birdwatching, kayaking and fishing can give an additional boost to local economies. The marine life – crustaceans, prawns, lobsters, crab and fish – that thrives in mangrove ecosystems supports local fisheries, providing food and revenue for coastal communities. From Everglades National Park in Florida, which is home to threatened species of birds and amphibians, to the Australian mangroves where over 100 species of molluscs are found, to the Caribbean mangroves where rare green sea turtles dwell, these sea forests provide a critical habitat for many species. Fish, birds, mammals and reptiles can all be found here – and the maze of twisted, stilted tree roots protects against predators, making them ideal nurseries. Mangrove forests, found at the edge of tropical and subtropical coastlines, are nutrient-rich breeding grounds for myriad species. ![]()
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