Mozambique: Destruction of mangrove endangers other species

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Mozambique: Destruction of mangrove endangers other species

8:07 CAT | 20 Sep 2016

Noticias

There has been a large decrease in mangrove distribution in Mozambique lately, despite the country having one of the most extensive mangrove forests in Africa, and the destruction of mangrove swamps along the Mozambican coast is putting at risk marine species and birds that depend on it to survive.

According to Eduardo Mondlane University biologist Vilma Machava, among the reasons for this trend are the demand for space for housing, and the use of the plant for charcoal and wood.

Addressing UEM meteorology, forest engineering and rural development students during the Climate Week recently celebrated by the European Union, Machava said that the reduction of mangrove habitat directly caused the reduction of fish and bird species which find their food there.

Machava also pointed out that mangrove forests play an important role in combating global warming, since it retains up to 50 percent of carbon emissions, thereby reducing the greenhouse effect.

“Mangroves are an important habitat for many species and their loss can affect marine and terrestrial biodiversity in a very comprehensive way,” she said.

The biologist says that these ecosystems serve a number of functions, including protecting the coastline from erosion, storms and even tsunamis. They are important nurseries for many marine animals, and serve as a repository and source of nutrients.

Mangrove plantations produce more than 95 percent of the food that man catches at sea and in rivers, so the maintenance of mangrove forests is vital to the livelihoods of fishing communities who live near them.

Machava denounced clandestine markets selling mangrove products in Zambezia and Sofala provinces as one of the factors contributing to the devastation, and proposed action to stop environmental damage in coastal and urban areas and awareness campaigns in local communities to promote conservation and sustainable use of natural resources to address the situation.

Source: Noticias