{"id":9437,"date":"2018-05-22T11:54:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T10:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/?p=9437"},"modified":"2018-12-17T11:13:35","modified_gmt":"2018-12-17T11:13:35","slug":"from-trepidation-to-appreciation-my-experience-with-madagascars-mangroves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/from-trepidation-to-appreciation-my-experience-with-madagascars-mangroves\/","title":{"rendered":"From trepidation to appreciation: my experience with Madagascar\u2019s mangroves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Madagascar contains approximately 2,100km<\/span>2<\/span> of mangroves, 90% of which are found in the numerous deep bays along the western coastline. For a long time, the Malagasy people considered these mangrove forests uninhabitable, inhospitable and infested with mosquitoes. Why would anyone want to venture into such a hostile environment? <\/span><\/p>\n

People traditionally only entered mangrove forest to harvest wood for construction, or to find particular natural medicines, however, within the last two decades mangroves have become rapidly degraded and depleted. This is due to the increased demand for fuelwood, charcoal and seafood that comes with soaring population growth. More people have moved to coastal areas \u2013 due to the lack of livelihood opportunities inland \u2013 and to provide for themselves they have started exploiting mangroves with unsustainable intensity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mangroves in northwest Madagascar | Photo: Garth Cripps<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Mangrove deforestation | Photo: Garth Cripps<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

This decline is worrying as, in addition to supporting unique biodiversity, mangroves provide numerous goods and services that are critical to the wellbeing of coastal communities. These include coastal protection from storms and sea level rise, shore stabilisation, water filtration, construction materials, fuelwood, and they are also the habitat of important fisheries, including shrimp and crabs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with the oceans, seagrass beds and other coastal ecosystems, mangrove forests are also critical components in the carbon cycle and global carbon storage of the planet. These aquatic carbon stores are known as blue carbon, and mangrove trees have an exceptional capacity for blue carbon sequestration \u2013 playing a key role in climate change mitigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mangrove trees have an exceptional capacity for blue carbon sequestration | Photo: Garth Cripps<\/p><\/div>\n

I have always been fascinated by plant ecology and its effect on climate change, and I first started assessing mangrove carbon stocks with Blue Ventures in 2013 when working on my master\u2019s thesis. Since then, I have been involved in many mangrove expeditions along the west and northwest coast of Madagascar, all the while becoming increasingly passionate about protecting these unique ecosystems. <\/span><\/p>\n

With a current deforestation rate of 3.75% per year, the mangroves in Tsimipaika Bay are the most threatened in the country.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They may look quite bizarre from the outside, with their complex system of roots poking through the water, but when you take a close look inside a mangrove and see the vast range of structural and functional attributes, you can\u2019t help but be amazed. This is how I became a Blue Carbon Scientist for Blue Ventures in September 2016, based in Tsimipaika Bay, on the northwest coast.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is an area with particularly prominent mangrove loss, with a current deforestation rate of 3.75% per year \u2013 the most threatened mangroves in the country. This rate of loss is primarily driven by overharvesting for charcoal and timber, leaving vast swathes of deforestation that are really sad to see. This devastation is also exacerbating the pressures on adjacent ecosystems such as coral reefs and seagrass beds, and the fisheries and livelihoods that they support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continued mangrove loss threatens the livelihoods and wellbeing of thousands of people in Tsimipaika Bay. We are aiming to combat this loss by supporting the protection, restoration and sustainable use of mangroves. In the long term, we also hope that the value of these ecosystems on the <\/span>international carbon market<\/span><\/a> can be transferred to the coastal communities that are sustainably managing and protecting them.<\/span><\/p>\n