BBC Tsunami: Mangroves 'saved lives'

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Tsunami: Mangroves 'saved lives'

By Mark Kinver

BBC News science and nature reporter

 

 

Healthy mangrove forests helped save lives in

the Asia tsunami disaster, a new report has said.

 

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) compared the

death toll from two villages in Sri Lanka that

were hit by the devastating giant waves.

 

Two people died in the settlement with dense

mangrove and scrub forest, while up to 6,000

people died in the village without similar

vegetation.

 

Many forests in the past were felled to build prawn farms and tourist resorts.

 

The IUCN said it showed that healthy ecosystems acted as natural barriers.

 

" It saved a lot of lives as well as properties, "

said Vimukthi Weeratunga, the union's

biodiversity coordinator in Sri Lanka.

 

" We have carried an out ecological assessment of

the damage caused by the tsunami. In some areas

the damage was very minimal, and mangrove

vegetation had played a role. "

 

Research has shown mangroves are able to absorb

between 70-90% of the energy from a normal wave.

 

There is, however, no reliable data on how the

trees mitigate the impact of a tsunami.

 

Many people living in coastal areas now want to

see their communities benefit from the apparent

protection offered by mangrove forests.

 

" People tend to respect these natural barriers

even more, especially after the tsunami, " Mr

Weeratunga said.

 

" Now everyone is keen to plant a lot of

mangroves in the coastal areas but unfortunately

we cannot plant mangroves everywhere. "

 

Slow recovery

 

Coral reefs were also in the direct path of the

tsunami. Fears for these ecosystems were allayed

after initial surveys found that there had not

been widespread, long-term damage.

 

But they did not escape unharmed. Debris and

silt from the shore was washed out to sea and

covered the reefs.

 

Twelve months later, the IUCN has found that

reefs which were in good shape before the waves

struck are recovering much more quickly than

degraded sites.

 

Lucy Emerton, head of the union's ecosystems and

livelihoods group in Asia, explained why.

 

" Healthy coral reefs are much more robust in

terms of recovering from either natural or

man-made disasters, " she told the BBC News

website.

 

" Physically, you see a beautiful coral reef that

is coming back to life rather than one that is

still smothered in debris. "

 

Many of the reefs in the Indian Ocean had been

damaged from dynamite fishing, coral mining and

bleaching.

 

The protection that healthy marine and coastal

ecosystems provided during the disaster

highlighted the need for effective environmental

policies, Ms Emerton said.

 

" It was immediately obvious what an important

role mangrove forests, wetlands and coral reefs

played in mitigating the impact [of the

tsunami], " she argued.

 

" It has led to a real step forward in looking at

integrated coastal management systems. "

 

She said strong conservation laws already

existed but there had been questions about how

effective they had been enforced.

 

One example of a local government flexing its

conservation muscles is the recent declaration to

establish two new turtle sanctuaries in southern

Sri Lanka.

 

Elsewhere, four international conservation

groups, led by Wetlands International, have

launched a project called Green Coast.

 

Working alongside local governments and

construction companies, the project hopes to

rehabilitate the habitat in areas affected by the

disaster.

 

Fishing fears

 

Both mangrove forests and coral reefs found in

coastal areas provide vital protection and

breeding grounds for fish - a key source of

income and nutrition for people in the region.

 

A report published by the Malaysian-based

WorldFish Center has warned that misplaced

investment by donors could do more harm than good

in the long term.

 

When the giant waves swept inland in December

2004, between 80-90% of the fishing fleet was

destroyed.

 

This prompted a massive effort by the

international community to replace lost vessels

and gear.

 

While welcoming the overwhelming response, the

centre's director general, Stephen Hall, said it

was important for donors to coordinate their

efforts with the governments.

 

" There is a real danger that we are going to set

these communities back on the downward spiral of

unsustainable fish stocks, " he said.

 

" The Indonesian government estimates that 10,500

boats were lost [in Aceh]. Of those, around 2,500

were repaired. Recent estimates put the number of

boats that have been built or in the process of

being built at around 10,800.

 

" So we now have 2,800 more boats than we started with. "

 

Dr Hall said this created the potential to place

even greater pressure on already overexploited

stocks.

 

This view is shared by the IUCN's Vimukthi Weeratunga.

 

" Immediately after the tsunami, a lot of the

NGOs and other well wishers were distributing

boats.

 

" But we saw the distribution of too many boats and an increase in fishing. "

 

Latest figures from the UN Farming and

Agriculture Organization (FAO) show fish catches

in Aceh for 2005 are down 41% for marine fishing

and 26% for brackish water aquaculture.

 

Balancing act

 

The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep)

published a report in November highlighting the

challenges of meeting the demands of the mammoth

relief effort without exacerbating the damage to

the environment.

 

It warned that haphazard groundwater extraction,

unsanitary disposal of waste, chaotic rebuilding

of homes and unsustainable timber harvesting

could result in more environmental damage,

leading to an increase in poverty and greater

vulnerability to future disasters.

 

A number of agencies, including the FAO and

Unep, are working closely with the governments of

nations affected by the disaster.

 

Help is being provided in a number of areas,

such as offering technical assistance to

overstretched environment ministries and

coordinating the mobilisation of funding.

 

As attention begins to focus on the future,

Vimukthi Weeratunga warns that there are no quick

fixes when it comes to repairing the

environmental damage.

 

" It will take five to seven years, at least, to

get to the pre-tsunami stage - and that is a

conservative estimate. "

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4547032.stm

 

Published: 2005/12/25 07:56:34 GMT

 

© BBC MMV

 

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