MANGROVE RESTORATION-A NECESSARY CLIMATE MITIGATION SOLUTION - Mark Ram and Shaleeza Shaw
MARK RAM
Commensurate with UNESCO, we need to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems. Mangroves are special as they are tropical trees that thrive in conditions most timber cannot withstand SHALEEZA SHAW -salty, coastal waters, and
the interminable ebb and flow of the tide, all common to Guyana and its riverain locations. Mangroves provide important ecosystem services such as coastal protection, climate mitigation,carbon storage and sequestration and support fisheries. Of critical importance is mangrove’s carbon sequestration ability which is laudable as they are known to have higher carbon mass ratios than other terrestrial trees in the tropics. Mangrove forests are key weapons in the fight against climate change, but sadly, they are under threat worldwide and here at home, despite their promotion as a fairly lowcost solution for sustainable management and conservation. Guyana was known have substantial mangrove cover which have been depleted by coastal erosion and development . However, there has been much effort and projects undertaken to support mangrove restoration so much so that today our inventory indicates that we have some 82,437 acres of mangroves. But is that enough? The environmentalists will tell you without hesitation, no.
In a recent study in July 2021 titled: Mangrove Forest Restoration Efforts Find Success in Newly Planted Seedlings, led by University of Guyana graduate faculty, Mark Ram, and co-authored by fellow Guyanese Anand Roopsind based at Conservation International, compared the restored conditions to those of both intact and degraded forests. The research team found that restored forests yield 13% more aboveground vegetation – consisting of mangrove trees’ leaves, twigs, branches and stems – than mangrove forests which remained intact over the past decade. The restored sites have 99% more of this vegetation than degraded sites that had not been restored. “These results are very encouraging – they help us make the case that mangrove restoration is a necessary practice to ensure these carbon storing ecosystems thrive for years to come,” said Roopsind. “We now know that, with the proper technical knowledge, mangrove plantings can grow back relatively quickly and even lead to healthier mangrove forests overall.” With coastal development and deforestation leading to the widespread loss of mangrove forests, planting new seedlings has emerged as the leading strategy to regain some of the forests’ ecological benefits – like the critical role they play as fish nurseries and their carbon storage ability, which is higher by area than old-growth forests.
The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Programme from 2010 -2014, which was supported by the European Union (EU) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), resulted in over eleven (11) km of replanted mangroves (] 500,000 seedlings), and 40 km placed under special protection, which though laudable, should not make us complacent. Mangrove restoration efforts should be amplified in Guyana, especially as the country confronts the raft of rising sea levels and unprecedented coastal development. Conservation of existing mangroves is also crucial as the threats of erosion become violent, and the destruction of local mangroves continues, especially in Region 1 and the East Coast corridor of Region 4. Therefore, there is scope for ecosystem services protection by considering the EU’s proposal to establish a 700 km2 Mangrove Forested Area in the Barima and Mora Passage rivers, which is adjacent to the Shell Beach protected area in Region 1. Other areas with standing mangrove forests should be identified and placed under special protection schemes such as protected areas or nature reserves.
38
GREEN GUYANA - ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
© Deopaul Somwaru - Restored mangroves at No 7., Region 5
“Not only are mangroves good for our climate, these forests are vital to coastal areas in the tropics. In Guyana, they provide a protective buffer against storms and sea-level rise and act as critical nursery habitats for many seafood species. They are essential for the well-being of so many local communities,” said Mark Ram, co-author of the paper from the University of Guyana.
