Mangrove & Coral Destruction
Miles of mangrove trees have died in recent years along the coast of Angola due to a combination of environmental factors, including oil spills. Photo: Joe Hughes
Widespread destruction of mangroves (Bahamas, Australia) and Coral Reefs (Caribbean, Red Sea) has resulted in the loss of some of the worlds most diverse ecosystems. As a side effect, this has greatly increased shoreline hazards and beach erosion rates. The greatest benefit of mangroves is their ability to reduce storm surge. This benefit is long-term and requires no maintenance. The 1999 super typhoon, Orissa, killed over 10,000 people in India drowning many with its powerful storm surge. This number could have been lower if the mangroves had been retained. Mangroves are lost because of clearing for development, logging, and shrimp farming. Coral reefs are lost by mining (Bali, Indonesia), sedimentation from agriculture on the upland (St. Croix, Virgin Islands), bad fishing techniques that kill corals (Pacific Islands), sedimentation from nourished beaches (Waikiki) and a host of other natural and global warming-related causes. Dubai is perhaps the single greatest example of coral reef destruction. The artificial islands built there buried vast coral reefs. Mangroves and coral reefs often provide protection for nearby beaches. Their destruction harms the beach as well.
Surfing in / Mangrove and Coral Destruction
Scientists find damage to coral near BP well
For the government, the findings were a departure from earlier statements.
Root of the Matter: Mangrove as Lives Saver When Natural Disaster Strikes
Countless people clung to life in the branches of mangrove trees hemming the shorelines during the deadly 2004 tsunami that killed more than 230,000 coastal residents in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Call to Heal World’s Reefs
There is still time to save the world’s ailing coral reefs, if prompt and decisive action can be taken to improve their overall health, leading marine researchers said, in a major scientific symposium in Canberra, October 7th and 8th.
Copenhagen Accord Loopholes and Risks to the “Rainforests of the Sea”
A global temperature increase of up to 4.2 º C and the end of coral reefs, the “Rainforests of the Sea,” could become reality by 2100 if national targets are not revised in the Copenhagen Accord.
The Louder the Reef, the Better Its Health
This finding could change the way scientists monitor reefs.
Oil spill off Mumbai coast: tangible damage to mangroves
The oil slick from two ships colliding on August 7th off Mumbai coast, was found to have destroyed more than 300 hectares of mangroves and lapped the Elephanta coast.
Indonesia’s coral reefs dying at alarming rate
Coral that survived the 2004 tsunami is now dying at one of the fastest rates ever recorded.
Mangroves worldwide: a global loss of tidal forests
Mangroves Report Reveals, threats and opportunities to global economy and the Planet.
Lessons in Brazil’s oil spill after a decade
Ten years later, the once-green mangrove bay area only has thick black mud and no life left in the soil.
