The Importance of Mangroves And Their Conservation to Indigenous Communities
Location: UK
Monica is an amateur wildlife photographer and blogger from the UK. She has been published by various nature related blogs and has written about a variety of topics.
Introduction: another type of forest...
Forests carpet the globe, from the vast rainforests of the Amazon, to the vibrant tropical forests of Congo, to Northern America where swathes of leaves line the deciduous forest floor, then all the way to Russia's extensive temperate stretches.
When we think of forest ecosystems, our mind turns to land - it is what makes sense, isn’t it? Where else will trees grow from, where else will animals roam? However, land isn’t the universal home to all creatures, and therefore, it does not hold all of our biomes.
Mangrove forests are the versatile ecosystems that exist as a buffer between land and water.
From the Western Pacific to Sri Lanka, and all the way to Florida, these ‘water oceans’ thrive in abundance, yet are often overlooked by locals.
What exactly are Mangroves?
So, what exactly are mangroves? Mangroves are tropical and subtropical intertidal communities within an ecosystem, which dominate several species from trees to shrubs. Now, there is a twist which separates these forests from all others. This plant life grows within the salt water, and their roots are situated above the ground. Mangroves are situated across the globe, tying together the blue and green planets in over 100 countries and territories in the 5° N and 5° S latitudes of the world While 75% of mangroves populate just 15 countries, it is safe to say that they are a regular component of life for millions of people. So now that we know what mangroves are, you may be wondering what makes them so special?
A host for our wild world...
To start off, they are a home in which wildlife can thrive; the wet conditions and warm climate (due to the fact that they are restricted to tropical temperature latitudes given their geographical location) creates the perfect environment to not only host arrays of species from rainbow parrotfish to brown pelicans, but to provide them with nutritious food (we can thank the soil being a brilliant nutrient collector for that!) all the way to protecting species with its towering shrubbery walls.
...and a helping hand to us...
Now if the fact that mangroves host and protect brilliant biodiversity wasn’t enough to convince you of just how meaningful they are, I still have more convincing left in me! One of the ways in which the mangrove forests protect us is through the removal and storage of carbon from our atmosphere.
When Carbon, a greenhouse gas, accumulates in the atmosphere, it can be very hard to remove it. We rely on several ecosystems -such as mangroves- to remove carbon. They function almost like a vacuum, absorbing the atmosphere's carbon by letting it accumulate in their wood and soil. Each year, all of the world's mangrove forests sequester approximately 24 million metric tonnes of carbon within their soil (to put this into perspective, that is 24 elephants worth of carbon in a year alone).
And it isn’t only the invisible things such as gases that the mangroves lend a hand with, they also offer a service that protects us from the things happening right before our eyes: erosion. Whether this includes rocks being hurled at the face of a cliff or just big waves, the more exposed the cliff face, the faster it is going to wear away.
Given the sheer speed and intensity of waves, it is clear that we need a natural element to support this vulnerable cliff base. Naturally, our minds turn to sand; it’s the main thing that surrounds coasts and the beach! However, this is not a universal feature of all beaches and therefore cliffs; some are hugged by mangroves instead. Remember the characteristic above-ground roots we discussed earlier? Their long twisted structures paired with their ability to absorb slows the pace at which waves come hurling at the cliff, allowing water to move with a much lower intensity. Now that the water isn’t moving full steam ahead, sediment is dropped from the water column, as the waves simply haven’t got enough energy to carry it all. This has an effective domino effect, as waves of low intensity and little sediment will have less erosive power.
...but an entire life for indigenous people
We know that mangroves are helpful in both the functioning of the natural world and the human world, but to realise to whom these mangroves hold the utmost importance, we need to whittle these large communities down. Indigenous people can also be referred to as the first or native people, are defined as culturally distinct ethnic groups native to a particular place. People who are indigenous mainly aim to maintain traditions and aspects of an early culture associated with a given region, with one of these maintained traditions being long-established means of conservation.
Mangroves are the perfect resource for allowing long lasting rituals to take place, from the way that food is sourced (along the south of Florida mangrove detritus, leaf litter, and plankton provide rich nutrients enabling sea life such as crabs and isopods to thrive, and so an array of biodiversity to serve the diets of these communities) all the way to their means of living and transport (particularly for aboriginal Australlians, we can see that mangrove timber can be used to make almost anything from canoes to spears and shelter).
These mangroves are a massive help in sustaining indigenous lifestyles, but it still leaves the question of ‘why should indigenous people protect the mangroves themselves, with developed regions supporting them from the sidelines?’...
Indigenous communities, the guardians of their own forests
Mangroves usually populate territories belonging to indigenous communities. If you look at countries with a high mangrove concentration, the results are focused in Brazil, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia. What do all of these places have in common? They are (or have been) abundant in distinct idigenous communities (Indigenous people of Brazil prior to European contact, once consisted of an estimated 2000 tribes and nations, and Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia consists of the 3 main groups Negritos, Senoi, and Proto-Malays, and branches even more into sub-ethnic groups. Pribumi of Indonesia are split into a vast three tiered classification and Paupans of Papua New Guinea occupy the Melanesian region of Oceania in the South Western Pacific). So, if indigenous communities are abundant in mangrove rich regions, we should leave the protection to them; in the exact same way that we wouldn’t want someone coming into our house and start tossing away our curtains and fridge contents, we shouldn’t interfere with the wonderful homes of indigenous people.
Indigenous protectors are doing an amazing job!
The amazing thing about indigenous communities is the gentle perspective they view the mangroves with; when I discuss indigenous protectors, I am referring to a community who denounces the exploitation of nature, and who restore it so kindly. This gentle approach gained popularity all over the world, from Mozambique where locals monitor the forests to keep poachers at bay all the way to Indonesia where village leaders pioneered an innovative new governance system that divided the mangroves into protection and utilization zones. From here alone we can see that these communities are doing a fantastic job, focusing their approach on unity and patience, which now poses the final question…
Why and how should I help?
Privileged enough to harm = privileged enough to help
Remember when we spoke about places like Brazil and Indonesia? While the immensely skilled indigenous people are trying to protect these forests, being situated in developing regions means this process isn’t easy. Various threats from the rapidly urbanising West means that these calm and tender approaches are becoming increasingly different to carry out - whether its physical such as deforesters coming in and stripping the land for growing plains, or the silent killer of climate change depleting these mangroves from source to sink, it is processes that we as an urban society unfortunately contribute to that makes the traditional protection of mangroves that much more difficult, and if we are privileged enough with money and time to destroy the environment, we definitely have enough money and time to build it back up again.
Now for the fun part, let’s muck in!
I completely understand the feeling of helplessness we can all feel when it comes to environmental - or in fact - any world issues that aren’t on our doorstep. This can often lead us to adopt a ‘oh well, what can you do?’ mindset, very luckily, I may just have a few suggestions that seem small but go for absolute miles!
Pressure the politicians. Young people have the beautiful minds that can shape our world - the only problem is that we kind of lack the funds, which unfortunately means we can’t do this alone - some serious influential backup is needed! Email your politicians, send letters, stick to them like a leech (a common mangrove insect!). As always, it isn’t nice being told to help but not how, so please look below for my MP email template and MP letter template.
Petitions. If there can be petitions to ‘abolish the use of the word ma’am forever’, there will be petitions for mangroves - the topics may seem niche, but boy are they necessary (such as Provide employment for two villages on Biak Island, Indonesia - the biggest step towards helping mangroves is not us barging in and doing the work, but supplying locals with the resources to do the work in a way they see fit, they are the experts after all!).
Fundraise. Wouldn’t you rather the 5p you spend on a plastic bag that will circulate the world for 500 years be a 5p that will help sequester ungodly amounts of CO2 and make a nice safe home for all sorts of fun fish? I would…
Use your voice. Spreading the word isn’t about being a social media influencer, all you need is one person; one family member, one friend, one follower, one very kind stranger - speak to anyone and everyone about these mangroves. Money is absolutely great, but we can sometimes undermine the power of public knowledge!
And now, a big BIG thank you!
By reading this alone, showing any interest at all in our world's mangroves, you are part of the solution. Thank you so much for reading! It takes passionate individuals and lots of them to make a change. Please use your voice, wisdom, and a desire for a better world to guide you to living a life and building a world that is considerate to all of its inhabitants.
“Combining elements of the land and sea, protecting both in the process, mangroves are a symbol of perfect balance within our natural world.” -
Let’s keep it that way.
Glossary
Forests - a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth
Rainforests - a biodiverse forest, found in tropical areas with heavy rainfall
Tropical (forests) - forested landscapes in tropical regions
Deciduous (forests) - vegetation of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves per season
Temperate - a region or climate characterized by mild temperatures
Ecosystems - a community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
Mangroves - a tree which grows in tidal swamps, having tangled roots above ground
Subtropical - regions adjacent to or bordering on the tropics
Intertidal - the area of a seashore which is covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide
Communities - a unified body of individuals with common interests living in a particular area
Species - a group of living organisms of similar individuals capable of interbreeding
5° N and 5° S latitudes - the measurement of distance north or south of the Equator
Rainbow parrotfish - a large, colored, heavy-bodied parrotfish of the tropical western Atlantic
Brown pelicans - a bird that has a brownish body and feeds by diving into the water
Soil - the upper layer of earth in which plants grow; a mix of organic materials
Shrubbery - a plant with the lack of a trunk and broad leaves
Biodiversity - the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat
Carbon - the most important greenhouse gas released by humans; a chemical element
Erosion - a geological process where materials are worn and transported by natural forces
Sediment - matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
Water column - a column of water from the surface of a water body to the bottom sediment
Erosive power - the strength of erosion based on the strength of natural processes
Indigenous people - practitioners of cultures of relating to people and the environment
Detritus - waste or debris of any kind
Leaf litter - decomposing leaves and debris forming a layer on top of the soil
Plankton - marine drifters; organisms carried along by tides and currents
Isopods - a crustacean that lives in the sea, fresh water, or land
Aborigional Australlians - Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and islands
Indiegnous people of Brazil - 2000 tribes inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil
Tribes - a division in a traditional society consisting of families socio-economically linked
Orang Asli - the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia; forms a national minority
Negritos - several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia
Senoi - the most numerous of the Orang Asli and widely distributed across the peninsula
Proto-Malays - the ancestors of the Malays in the modern Malaysia and Indonesia
Pribumi - Indonesians whose ancestral roots lie mainly in the archipelago
Paupans - the highly diverse aboriginal populations of Melanesia and Wallacea
Melanesian - the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia
Oceania - a region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia
Poachers - someone who breaks the law to hunt or fish
Governance - the action or manner of governing a state, organization, etc
Developing regions - a country with a less developed industrial base and a low HDI
Urbanisation - the population shift from rural to urban areas
MP email/letter
Dear [insert name of your MP]
My name is [insert your name], and I am writing to you to discuss the importance of mangrove forests, and the indigenous communities who need support in protecting them.
Mangroves are immensely important to the world, and this importance has become even more prevalent in light of the heightening climatic state of the world, serving as a physical barrier to the coast, and besides this, a rich source of oxygen, animal habitat, and human livelihood.
75% of the world's mangroves populate just 15 countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia. What these countries have in common is that they are less developed than ourselves in the UK [or inset your area of residency]. Indigenous communities do an incredible job by using traditional methods to preserve these forests for a better future.
There is so much we can do. We can stop deforestation towards mangrove forests to make way for rice paddies, rubber trees, palm oil plantations, and other forms of agriculture. We can prevent farmers from using fertilizers and chemicals that will, though runoff, inevitably create a knock on effect that’ll destroy those mangroves that do still stand. Most importantly, we can leave our indigenous protectors alone. It is a clear sign that they know how to protect the forests that they had been fine for hundreds and hundreds of years, and only began depleting as heavy industrialisation and human interference grew.
I hope that you will consider all I have said, and join me to make changes that will benefit both mangroves and indigenous communities.
Yours sincerely,
[insert your name]