MAP News Issue #598 - May 18, 2024

Why are Bangladesh’s Sundarbans catching fire? Reduced water inflow, increasing dry areas may be the cause BANGLADESH – A fire erupted in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans in the first week of May, which took almost four days to extinguish. A week later, nearby residents began demanding the mangroves be protected through a robust management system. The Sundarbans, the region’s natural shield, protected these villagers from natural disasters while also providing them with a source of income.  The blaze broke out in East Sundarbans on May 5, 2024, a short distance from Amorbunia village in Morelganj upazila (sub-district) of Bagerhat district, Bangladesh. Many villagers are close to tears, as the mangroves are extremely valuable for them — the forests saved many lives during Cyclones Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009. Villagers are also collecting honey from the forests, as it is the honey gathering season.  Between 1970 and 2024, the forest department and local residents reported 40 fire incidents in the same Sundarbans area. But the period between 2002 and 2024 saw 25 fires — indicating fire events maybe witnessing a rise. The forests have also witnessed a reduction in water inflow and an increase in dry regions, making the mangroves vulnerable. Fires in Bangladesh’s East Sundarbans are now occurring almost every year during the dry season. The May 5 blaze damaged approximately 13 acres of forest. Ajmal Hossain (45), a resident of Amorbunia village, said, “Sundarban is our life. If it is not protected, we cannot survive. Save the Sundarbans, save us.” Bangladesh’s Sundarbans are prone to frequent fires, cyclones, excess salinity, and even damage from high tidal pressures. However, no steps are taken to improve Sundarbans management. The forest department’s lack of manpower, budget, and vehicles is nothing new. READ MORE Open For Submissions: Children’s Mangrove Art Contest 2024! READ MORE How dredging hurt Lamu mangroves, livelihoods KENYA – When dredging began in Lamu to pave way for the construction of a 32-berth port, fishermen complained about fish being depleted, costing them their jobs. More than 4,600 fishermen in Lamu dragged the state to court, claiming the dredging violated the community’s cultural, fishing and health rights.  The Lamu residents were opposed to the design and implementation of the Sh310 billion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport Corridor project, otherwise known as Lapsset. The project, as initially designed, involved several components. These included a 32-berth port at Manda Bay in Lamu and an inter-regional standard gauge railway from Lamu to Juba (capital of South Sudan) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). There was also a road network and oil pipelines from South Sudan and Ethiopia, an oil refinery at Bargoni, three international airports and three resort cities, namely Lamu, Isiolo and Lake Turkana shores. Additionally, it was designed to include a multi-purpose High Grand Falls Dam on Tana River. The marine ecosystem in Lamu is complex in that it comprises the largest mangrove forests in Kenya, fish breeding grounds, sea grass and coral reefs. READ MORE Air Pollution Threatening the Mangrove Ecosystem: Study by IIT Kanpur INDIA - The study authored jointly by leading scientists from the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur states that air pollution poses a significant threat to the Sundarbans. The study found that huge amounts of pollutants, mainly enriched with black carbon or soot particles, arriving from not only Kolkata metropolis but the entire Indo-Gangetic Plain region, are significantly deteriorating Sundarbans’ air quality, thus affecting its ecosystem. The authors of the study have suggested 10-point recommendations to stop Sundarbans’s air quality and overall ecosystem degradation. The recommendations include solar energy promotion, wind energy utilisation, electric transportation, subsidised LPG, regulated tourism, banning diesel generators, banning of toxic shipments, closing down of pollutant factories, regulation of brick kilns and land use and strengthening of coastal regulations. The Sundarbans hosts the largest mangrove forests in the world, lying on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. READ MORE Hairy-Nosed Otters, Fishing Cats, and Other Wonders of Cambodia’s Mangroves CAMBODIA - one of the most comprehensive biodiversity surveys ever carried out in a mangrove forest has revealed that an astonishing array of wildlife makes its home in these key, threatened habitats. Hundreds of species—from bats to birds and fish to insects—were identified during the study of the Peam Krasop sanctuary and the adjacent Koh Kapik Ramsar reserve in Cambodia. Hairy-nosed otters, smooth-coated otters, large-spotted civets, long-tailed macaques, and fishing cats, as well a wide range of bat species, were among the residents recorded by the survey, which was funded by the conservation group Fauna & Flora. The variety of wildlife has staggered biologists. “We found 700 different species in these mangrove forests but we suspect we have not even scratched the surface,” says Stefanie Rog, the survey team leader, whose report was published last month. “If we could look at the area in even greater depth we would find 10 times more, I am sure.” Mangrove forests form narrow strips of tangled, wooded land on coasts in tropical and subtropical latitudes. They are important because they are made up of trees that have adapted to grow in salt or brackish water, which most other plants cannot tolerate. However, over the past few decades, the planet has lost about 40 percent of its mangroves, which have often been chopped down to make way for beach resorts or agriculture. READ MORE This disease is the latest threat to Florida’s vulnerable mangrove trees USA - Mara Skadden knew something was wrong when the leaves suddenly turned yellow. Hundreds of young mangrove trees at a Brevard County plant nursery that had looked healthy days earlier were droopy and weak. Within days, Skadden said, nearly 400 died. “It was very, very fast,” said Skadden, the director of science at the restoration nonprofit Marine Resources Council. “To be honest, I thought my plants weren’t getting enough nutrients. But the fact that they were dying at an unprecedented rate made me think something else was going on.” She contacted researchers at the University of Central Florida, who took samples in February. The culprit, their analysis found, was a cocktail of disease-causing fungi that scientists have identified in several countries across the globe, from Vietnam to Colombia. In 2019, researchers found the pathogen in Miami mangrove trees, the first known report in the United States. Now, scientists are finding trees infected with the fungi along the Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s east coast, according to Melissa Deinys, a University of Central Florida research assistant who specializes in mangrove infections. READ MORE Mangroves, expanding with the warming climate, are re-shaping the Texas coast USA – Dead mangroves cover Harbor Island near this coastal city, creating a bleak landscape that contrasts with the calm, blue water that laps at the shore. The intense 2021 winter freeze killed these plants, which can tolerate some cold but not for that long. A few leafy, green saplings now sprout among them. Black mangroves like these were expanding along the Texas coast for years before the freeze. The shrubs are native to the state, but, as climate change pushed temperatures generally higher, scientists saw them growing in greater numbers and spreading farther north than their typical range. Biologists who study mangroves say little can be done about the plant’s expansion.  Instead, they are analyzing what changes the mangroves bring as they spread to new areas — good and bad. In some cases, mangroves have shaded out salt marsh plants that some fish, shrimp, whooping cranes and other species rely on. And even though the freeze killed off many mangroves along the Texas coast, researchers expect them to return and keep growing in fits and starts as periodic freezes punctuate the generally warmer weather. Bottom of Form The way mangroves are re-making the Texas coastline is one more example of how human-caused climate change is already altering our environment. Like other animals and plants, mangroves can now live farther north because temperatures are warming. “The expansion and also the contraction [of mangroves] is a really striking and powerful example of the role of climate,” said Michael Osland, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. READ MORE The mangroves of Yucatan are in peril; human activity forces animals to leave their habitat MEXICO - The urban sprawl grows non-stop in Progreso, which damages fragile and important ecosystems. For the inhabitants of the port, it is normal for crocodiles to roam the streets of the subdivisions. On social networks, they publish videos and photos of their “neighbors”, images that cause astonishment in people who do not live in this municipality. In recent days, the crocodile known as “Huancho” was “walking” again near the swamp and was captured to be released at ground zero to avoid any accidents with people and domestic animals. Biologist Carlos León, from the Center for Marine Technological Studies (Cetmar), said that the numerous sightings of saurians are because their habitat, the mangroves, has been invaded by various constructions. On the other hand, he stressed that it is of utmost importance to preserve and care for these ecosystems as they are a source of food and reproduction for species such as birds, mammals, and reptiles of the port. In addition to the damage perpetrated by humans, climate change also impacts mangroves significantly. On at least five occasions, residents of the municipal seat, mainly from the eastern area, have recorded videos and taken photos of reptiles that appear from the mangrove swamp, something that in a certain way is already normal for them in their daily lives. READ MORE Not a subscriber? Click to subscribe MANGROVE PHOTO CONTEST NOW OPEN MAP has launched our 10th Mangrove Photography Awards. The competition invites photographers of all ages and levels to submit images that showcase the beauty, diversity and fragility of mangrove forests worldwide.     Want to learn more about mangroves? VISIT MANGROVEACTIONPROJECT.ORG ACTION ALERTS   Help Save the Mangroves Mangrove Action Project relies on the generosity of donors to do our urgent work. Whether it’s a one-time or monthly commitment, your contributions make a real difference in safeguarding these critical ecosystems.   FIght the Marine Bitumen Spill   Tanzania corals and mangroves threatened   Please sign: Save Murchison Falls!   Ecuador: Stop land grabbing and racial discrimination for palm oil!     Mangrove Action Project Report MAP is proud of our annual accomplishments and financial health for 2022. Check out a global map of the places we're working, and highlights from all of our programs. Thank you to our many supporters who made this work possible, and to all of our friends and partners working to protect mangrove forests, worldwide. READ MORE