Southeast Asia’s mangroves under threat due to land conversion for cultivation

Study says expansion of rice agriculture in Myanmar and conversion of mangroves for oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia are leading to massive deforestation

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More than 100,000 hectares of mangroves in Southeast Asia have been lost from 2000 to 2012 

National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers have found out that conversion of mangrove forests for other uses such as rice cultivation and palm oil farming is posing a threat to their existence in Southeast Asia.

In a press release, the NUS said that two per cent or more than 100,000 hectares of mangroves in the region have been lost from 2000 to 2012.

According to the statement, mangrove forests play an “important role” in mitigating carbon dioxide emissions and are important ecosystems globally.

“This is the first study to systematically quantify the conversion of mangroves to different land use types in Southeast Asia and identify the key drivers of mangrove deforestation over the last decade. While the available data potentially show encouraging signs of a slowdown in mangrove deforestation, it is important to note that mangrove loss in Southeast Asia still remains substantial,” Assistant Professor Daniel Friess from the department of geography at NUS said.

Importance of mangroves

The study says that Southeast Asia has the greatest diversity of mangrove species in the world. This type of ecosystem facilitates higher densities of carbon storage as compared to other ecosystems.

Mangroves have a host of benefits. These forests are a source of livelihood to millions of people. Mangroves also increase fisheries by providing habitat for young fish and offer coastal protection against storms and floods.

In an interview given to Down To Earth, environmental economist Jonah Busch had said that the biggest driver of tropical deforestation “is industrial agriculture—palm oil, beef, and soy, in addition to wood”.

Underlying the importance of preserving mangroves, Barend van Maanen, research fellow at the University of Southampton, UK, had said in an interview, “They (mangroves) play a key role in mitigating the effects of anthropogenic emissions of CO2. In addition, our research has now shown that mangroves can help protect coastal areas against sea level rise.”

According to the study, rice production is considered critical in Myanmar for national food security while palm oil production in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand is promoted to enhance the economy and improve national energy security.

Mangrove losses and protection measures

In a press release a few years back, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had called for better mangrove protection and management programmes.

The world has lost around 3.6 million hectares of mangroves since 1980, equivalent to an alarming 20 per cent loss of total mangrove area according to FAO’s mangrove assessment study entitled The world’s mangroves 1980-2005.

According to the FAO, Asia suffered the largest net loss of mangroves since 1980, with more than 1.9 million hectares destroyed, mainly due to changes in land use.

North and Central America and Africa also contributed significantly to the decrease in mangrove area, with losses of about 690,000 and 510,000 hectares respectively over the last 25 years.

At the country level, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Panama recorded the largest losses of mangroves during the 1980s.