New data crucial to mangrove woes

 By SONIA KENU 

RESEARCH and monitoring of the mangrove ecosystem is essential to provide information for conservation and restoration 

processes, a marine biologist says.

Wild Life Conservative Society marine biologist Mazzella Maniwavie told participants 

of the Seaweb sea series programme yesterday that Papua New Guinea depended on information from studies carried out in the 1980s. 

“There is no data to show how much of the mangroves have been degraded by human activities and natural disasters over time,” she said. 

“It is important to study and monitor how environmental and socio-economical factors have influenced the growth and distribution of mangroves.  

“Mangroves reduce global warming, control sea-level rise and protect land from erosion apart from providing a habitat for other marine life. 

“Connectivity between marine ecosystems is very important for conservation, especially to save marine diversity which is fast disappearing.  

“It has been estimated at a global scale that 50% of mangroves have already been destroyed. 

“Mangrove ecosystem is exposed to degradation and threat from human activities and natural disasters such as drought, cyclones and volcanic activity,” Maniwavie said.

“Human induced activities include extensive clearing for settlement, industrial and domestic pollution and land reclamation which is common in Papua New Guinea. 

 “Restoration of mangrove ecosystem through replanting of the trees is best taken as a community initiative. 

“A site analysis and a better understanding of the expected living conditions of different mangrove species will provide vital information to set a foundation for restoration projects.”