March 24, 2020

While global mangrove destruction rates in the 21^st century have declined significantly from those reported for previous decades, Eco-Business reveals that mangrove destruction rates in Southeast Asia (SEA), in particular, are twice as much as the global average and faster than anywhere else. These findings are cited from an international study on the state of global mangrove forests led by Associate Professor Daniel Friess (NUS Department of Geography).

Despite the immense environmental utility of mangroves such as providing nurseries for fish, crab, and shrimp, serving as bulwarks against tsunamis, and locking in atmospheric carbon dioxide, economic interests are taking precedence in fast-developing Southeast Asian countries. Almost one-third of all the mangroves lost in SEA from 2000 to 2012 were due to the development of shrimp farms while 22% and 16% were converted for rice and palm oil plantations respectively. The aquaculture sector also continues to discharge pollutants such as hormones and antibiotics into seawater and harm surrounding mangroves. Meanwhile, direct habitat loss has been fuelled by infrastructure demands along the coastlines; in Singapore, current policies favour seaward expansion of urban land use to support its growing economy and population at the expense of its mangrove forests.

As opposed to a zero-sum game, A/P Friess believes that development and mangroves can coexist. Not cutting down mangroves in the first place is the ideal but where conservation efforts fall short, rehabilitation of coasts fills in the gap. Even then, many rehabilitation efforts by governments are ill-informed – incompatible mangrove species may be planted while compatible saplings can be planted in unsuitable locations and be washed away by the waves. To avoid such issues, A/P Friess stresses the importance of collaboration between government, local communities, non-governmental organisations, and researchers so as to maximise information sharing and the use of best practices.

Read the article here.

The team’s study, ‘The State of the World’s Mangrove Forests: Past, Present, and Future’ (Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 2019) can be found here.