Sad to see mangrove disappearing

MANGROVE ecosystems should be better protected. A study by the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) revealed that environmental and economic damage caused by the “alarming” loss of mangrove forests in many countries should be urgently addressed.

Mangroves are salt-tolerant evergreen forests that are found along coastlines, lagoons, rivers or deltas in 124 tropical and subtropical countries around the world. Mangrove forests provide protection against erosion and wind. More importantly, they act as “buffer zones” between the land and sea. They are also known to absorb pollutants and host a number of threatened or endangered species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds, and provide spawning grounds for a wide variety of fish and shellfish.

Shrinking mangrove forests can lead to severe loss of biodiversity and livelihoods in addition to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas and siltation of coral reefs and sea grass.

Born and bred, and still living in Port Dickson, I’m really sad to see the mangrove forest here disappearing. I can still remember wading among the mangrove trees to see a marvellous variety of baby fish, jellyfish and sea urchins against a magical background of interwoven roots. But all that is history now. The water around Port Dickson is no longer how it was during the 1970s and 80s.