Conserving Latin American and Caribbean mangroves: issues and challenges (original) (raw)
Related papers
Status of mangrove research in Latin America and the Caribbean
Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 1990
For those in the eastem hemisphere, the most slfiking characteristic of New World mangroves must be their low diversity. However, this apparent simplicity is deceptive, New World mangrove species are extraordinarily plastic in their adaptations to their environment. On a geographic basis mangroves attain their greatest development where rainfall and tidal subsidies are abundant. These conditions occur in the northwest part of South American continent and on the eastem seabord, south of the Gulf of Paria (Venezuela) to São Luís, in Brazil. ln the 1970's events related to the developing environmental movement in the United States led to a marked interest in these systems, their ecology and management, pointing out the ecologica1 role of mangroves as sources of organic matter to estuarine food webs.The economic recession of the SO's and its impact on funding agencies, both national and international, and changing national priorities have dramatica1y curtailed scientific research. Research in the region is now almost totally supported by local institutions. The alanning rate at which mangroves are being destroyed in the region requires that prompt action be taken to develop a regional program such as the one recommended in the UNESCO Cali 1978 meeting, capable of fostering and supporting ecosystemic research, the development and compilation of management guidelines and the training of scientific personne~ resource managers, and providing for public environmental education. These guidefuies and strategies for effective management of a complex resource can only be developed through research. .
Degradation and conservation of Brazilian mangroves, status and perspectives
Ocean & Coastal Management, 2016
Mangroves are one of the most human-affected coastal ecosystems, despite their important social and ecological roles, and after decades of devastation these forests continue facing different processes of conversion, threatening their global future. Brazilian mangroves are not an exception, despite the existence of severe protection legislation. Conversions to aquaculture, industrial and urban development among others, have destroyed more than 50,000 ha (about 4% of the total mangrove area in the country) over the past three decades. Restoration efforts have somewhat minimized losses, but has recuperated only a 5% of the total degraded area. Despite criticized, monospecific plantings have demonstrated return of some ecosystem structure and functioning, and seems to be a starting point in mangrove restoration. Around 70% of Brazilian mangroves are today inside preserved areas, but the effectiveness of these advances continues impaired by bureaucracy, lack of conservation policies and economic interests. We estimate the status of Brazilian mangroves and review some restoration and conservation efforts, suggesting some management measures like restoration and community-based ecosystem management. Based in a reforested stand in Northeastern Brazil, we assess the environmental cost of mangrove clearing and reforestation results.
Mangroves and people: Lessons from a history of use and abuse in four Latin American countries
From native pre-Columbian subsistence economies to the modern global economy, mangroves have played an important role providing goods and services to human societies for millennia. More than 90% of the world's mangroves are located in developing countries, where rates of destruction are increasing rapidly and on large scales. In order to design effective conservation strategies, it is critical to understand the natural dynamics and anthropogenic drivers of these coastal wetland habitats. We use retrospective techniques to reconstruct mangrove forest history in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. We examine available, present day estimates of mangrove area and evaluate the representation of mangroves in the protected area systems of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, evaluating existing policies regarding mangroves. Archaeozoological evidence shows that mangroves were exploited for many thousands of years by pre-Columbian societies. Post-conquest deforestation prevailed during the next 400 years. Since 1990, despite increasingly positive attitudes towards mangroves and their inclusion in protected areas and conservation policies, mangrove cover has continued to decline due to expanding human activities (agriculture, aquaculture, coastal development), even in the presence of laws prohibiting their removal. Here we provide an historical ecology baseline of mangroves in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, from which to view current trends and map future trajectories. Given the myriad negative consequences of mangrove loss recorded worldwide, and the strong ecological connectivity of the region, developing effective strategies for mangrove management at an appropriate scale will be paramount to protect coastal livelihoods and biodiversity.
Dichotomy of mangrove management: A review of research and policy in the Mesoamerican reef region
Ocean & Coastal Management, 2018
Mangroves are declining globally at faster rates than tropical forests and coral reefs, with primary threats including, aquaculture, agriculture and climate change. Mangroves provide ecosystem services to coastal communities of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, which comprise the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) ecoregion. Over the past two decades mangroves within the MAR have declined. Current estimates of mangrove cover in the region suggest that mangroves cover 239,176 ha of the MAR, equivalent to 1.7% of the world's mangroves. Concerted efforts to manage, conserve and protect mangrove forest are apparent in all four countries. Comprehensive laws that prohibit the cutting and clearing of mangroves have been implemented in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Belize has a permitting system to regulate mangrove alterations. In addition, a total of seven international and regional agreements have been ratified. Across the ecoregion, forty-three protected areas have been designated that contain mangroves, providing protection to 111,396 ha of mangroves (47% of the total). However, our findings suggest a lack of transparency in the governance framework, a disconnect between management and research, and geopolitical differences have all played a role 2 in reducing management efficacy. A key finding of our study reveals a distinct division in the perceived major threats to mangroves between Ramsar site managers and researchers. Ramsar site managers identify anthropogenic disturbances as key threats, while in contrast, the bulk of research focuses on natural disturbances. To promote the inclusion of evidence-based research within mangrove management plans, greater efforts to connect these important stakeholders are required.
The Need for a Holistic Approach in Mangrove Research and Management
Ecological Studies, 2010
The term mangrove is commonly used to identify trees and shrubs that have developed morphological adaptations, like aerial roots, salt excretion glands and vivipary of seeds, to the tidal environment. Mangroves comprise 27 genera and approximately 70 species worldwide, and mangrove forests provide vital ecological benefits such as nursery grounds and shelter for many species, coastal protection, and nutrient retention. Local coastal populations derive sustenance from the mangrove forests, i.e., catching fish and crabs for subsistence or commercial purposes, and collecting firewood and other resources from this unique environment.
Restoration Ecology, 2000
Whereas the increasing knowledge on tropical coastal wetlands highlights the ecological and economical importance of such ecosystems, anthropogenic activities within the coastal zone have caused substantial, irreversible losses of mangrove areas in the Lesser Antilles during the last decades. Such a paradox gives strength to compensatory policy efforts toward mangrove restoration. We review the available knowledge on the ecology of mangrove growth and recovery in the Lesser Antilles as a contribution to possible restoration projects in such islands. Distribution of species follows a general pattern of seaward/landward zonation according to their respective tolerance to flooding and to pore-water salinity. An experimental study of seedling growth following simulated oil spill has documented the tolerance of Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans seedlings to oil concentration in soils and the effects of natural biotic and abiotic factors on seedlings growth and survival. Monitoring mangrove recovery following hurricane Hugo has given information on growth patterns, from seedling to sapling stages, according to species and site conditions. Forest recovery was mostly due to pre-established seedlings. For the large Rhizophora propagules, buoyancy appears to be a quite inefficient way of dispersal far inland from the sea shore or riversides. Causes of recovery failure are discussed. From these results we attempt to answer the questions when, where, how to plant mangroves, and what species to use.
The Importance of Mangroves to People: A Call to Action
2014
This global synthesis report serves as a call to action to decision makers. It provides a science-based synthesis of the different types of goods and services provided by mangroves and the associated risks in losing these services in the face of ongoing global habitat loss and degradation. The report provides management and policy options at the local, regional and global level with the aim of preventing further losses through effective conservation measures, sustainable management and successful restoration.
Issues and Challenges of Mangrove conservationin the Anthropocene
This essay addresses the conservation issues facing mangroves in the Anthropocene, defined as the era of human domination over the world. We review the laws, policies, international agreements, and local actions that address the conservation of mangrove forests in the Neotropics and relate them to the Anthropocene. Collaboration between governments, non-governmental organizations, and communities that depend on mangroves for their livelihood will be critical in the Anthropocene. The essay also reviews recent developments in mangrove ecology and ecophysiology that enlighten how mangroves might respond to changes in temperature and rainfall, sea level rise, and other anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Mangroves in the Anthropocene will also face changes in their species composition given the current movement of mangroves species across continental barriers as a result of human activity. These trends will lead to novel mangrove forests and in some cases expand the range of mangroves worldwide. The solution to mangrove persistence in the Anthropocene is not to isolate mangroves from people, but to regulate interactions between mangroves and humans through effective management. We will also have to expand the scope of the ecological analysis of mangrove ecosystems to include the social forces converging on the mangroves through an analytical approach that has been termed Social Ecology.