The National Environment Agency’s project on coastal resilience in which they are planting mangroves in communities like Kiang is a wonderful initiative.
Settlements along the Bintang Bolong tributary, from Bwian in WCR to Sandeng in LRR, there is a presence of high mortality rate of mangroves on one hand and salt intrusion on the other.
This is worrying because mangrove serves as environmental indicator and also provides home to many aquatic lives, breeding spot for juvenile fish.
Planting mangroves can help the communities regenerate their vegetation cover and get ready to fight climate change.
Mangroves are critical to habitat for many species of fish and wildlife; they serve as coastal fish and shellfish nursery habitat, and produce large quantities of leaf material that becomes the basis for a detritus food web.
They provide a home to many aquatic lives, breeding spot for young juvenile fish and above all a carbon sink.
The stock of fish communities enjoy are getting scarce because mangrove have been in one way or the other been destroyed mainly due to human activity
Because of the importance it brings to human beings, it is the duty and responsibility of all to positively keep our marine ecologies protected and conserved.
Regenerating the vegetation cover and ecosystem would help fight climate change through carbon print.
It is for these reasons that we jealously guard the forest cover and sustainably use them for the benefit of the unborn future generations.
Once the mangrove are restored and jealously protected, they can serve as coastal protection from hurricanes and typhoons.
Most importantly, riverine mangroves help remove pollutants before they enter adjacent coastal waters.
It was estimated that there are 181,399 sq km of mangrove forests in the world and major historical losses have occurred.
Mangrove forests if rehabilitated could achieve a variety of goals; for instance, to meet commercial purposes for restoring fisheries habitat, for sustainable multiple community use purposes, or for shoreline protection purposes.
Beyond slowing storm surge and reducing beach erosion, mangroves provide habitat for nursing fish, birds and other marine life that help coastal communities and support livelihoods.
With the reefs degraded and the mangroves largely missing, the beaches have eroded, and important fisheries habitat has been lost, and coastal infrastructure and people are more vulnerable to impacts from the sea.
Restoring mangroves will help mitigate challenges like storm surge and sea level rise, reduce erosion, restore habitat for fish and improve water quality.
“God
gave man the authority to rule and protect all the animals in the aquatic ecosystems.”
Lailah
Gifty Akita
