Mangroves among world’s most valuable ecosystems

‘World Mangrove Atlas’ highlights the importance of and threats to mangroves

Press Release
July 14, 2010

An unprecedented partnership of organizations – from forestry and conservation sectors and from across the United Nations – have released a new and comprehensive map and account of mangrove forests. These forests which straddle land and sea are found in 123 countries in tropical and subtropical regions. Globally they are rare, covering only150 000 square kilometers. They are also disappearing faster than any other forest type on earth*.

“Mangrove forests are the ultimate illustration of why humans need nature,” says Dr. Mark Spalding, lead author of the World Mangrove Atlas. “In place after place the book details the extraordinary synergies between people and forests. The trees provide hard, rot-resistant timber and make some of the best charcoal in the world. The waters all around foster some of the greatest productivity of fish and shellfish in any coastal waters. What’s more, mangrove forests help prevent erosion and mitigate natural hazards from cyclones to tsunamis – these are natural coastal defenses whose importance will only grow as sea level rise becomes a reality around the world.”

Various studies have converted the benefits of mangroves into dollar values and the sums are tremendous...

Source: Mangroves among world’s most valuable ecosystems
Author: UNU-INWEH

Link: 'Blue carbon' stored in vegetated coastal systems could be underestimated
Link: Mangroves under threat from shrimp farms: U.N.


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