The Mangroves of Madagascar

The Mangroves of Madagascar

Stephen Chen

Map of Madagascar Mangroves
http://www.honko.org/Madagascar%20mangroves.jpg

Mangrove in the northern coast of Madagascar(Nosy Faly)
http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/images/profiles/terrestrial/at/lg/at1404a_lg.jpg

History

Mangroves on the northwest coast of Madagascar
http://www.eoearth.org/images/146229/532x0/scale/nwmadagascarmangroves.jpg

The mangroves of Madagascar are found primarily on the western coast of Madagascar. The largest mangrove stands are located at Mahajamba Bay, Bombetoka, south Mahavavy and Salala, and Maintirano. The mangroves occupy about 600 miles (1,000 km) of the Madagascar’s coastlines, which are associated with coral reefs that protect the ecosystem from ocean swell. The water temperatures of the mangroves are relatively even from north to south, and rainfall varies with climatic zones that range from 2000 mm in the humid subequatorial north to 350 mm in the dry subtropical south. The ecosystem of Magadascar has been historically low in species richness, but is unusual in supporting specific endemic tree species. The mangroves shelter highly diverse mollusk and crustacean communities, as well as capture sediment that threatens coral reefs and seagrass beds. Birds, sea turtles, and dugongs all inhabit the Mangroves. The native people of the Madagascar mangroves are the Malagasy people.

Human Impacts

The human impact on the mangroves of Madagascar has been generally negative. Forests are declining due to conversion to other land uses and forest degradation. The mangroves are threatened by overfishing, due to shrimp aquaculture being one of the main industries in the mangroves. Development of urban areas and erosion caused by tree-cutting in the highlands also threaten the existence of the mangroves of Madagascar. Some mangroves have been converted into rice farming and salt production. For the most part, there is a relatively low amount of direct harvesting of mangrove trees in the area, due to wood being available from other nearby areas. 

Between 2000 and 2010, there was a 17.157% decrease the area of mangroves of Madagascar due to conversion of land by humans. In 2000, Madagascar had 517,886.1 square kilometers of mangrove, which had decreased to 429,032.7 square kilometers by 2010. 

Likely Future Prospects

As of right now, future prospects of the mangroves of Madagascar seem to be heading towards a general decrease in total area of mangroves. This is due to conversion of mangrove land into urban areas as well as areas of rice farming and salt production. The relative decrease in mangrove area between the years of 2000 and and 2010 can be seen through this chart below.

Graph detailing the decrease in total mangrove area of Madagascar from 2000 to 2010
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBVG5_8yvkUOa640XgaPFpJPyGNdE5ji9i3mRkAwc0UlaIDkPm55MsmVst5heLM1-IYHPUiLP1GOfzRZgnmzWstYTf8KPgaQ-DZNfiB_hiqmeNqs2NaZsNYeRPz5rU2g15koxnloccds/s1600/TMA+Chart.PNG

There is also a conservation project being worked on in Western Madagascar mangroves that started in June 2009. It is focused on the areas of Tsiribihina and Manambolo, in western Madagascar, which are two of the most expansive and developed mangroves in the country. The project plans to carry out a vulnerability assessment of the biophysical and socio-economic characteristics of these mangroves in the face of future climate change to inform restoration and conservation zoning activities. The project was created in response to possible rising sea levels, cyclones, changes in hydrological cycles and salinity intrusions that all have the potential to harm the mangrove ecosystems.

Data table analyzing the ecological vulnerability of western Madagascar
http://www.scribd.com/doc/69730456/Mangrove-ecosystems-in-western-Madagascar-an-analysis-of-vulnerability-to-climate-change-WWF-2011

How to Improve Human Impacts

There are two actions that need to be taken in order to conserve the mangroves of Madagascar: restoration and conservation. There has already been much loss of mangroves area within the past 10 years. As seen in the graph comparing the area of mangrove in 2000 to the area in 2010, there was an approximate 17% decrease in area within the 10 year period. Planting species native to the mangrove areas would help in the effort to restore the land that was lost due to conversion. 

Conservation laws should also be enacted in order to stop further degradation and loss of mangrove area. Limits should be placed on the amount of area that can be used on businesses such as rice farming and shrimp aquaculture, in order to save species endemic to the mangroves of Madagascar.

Sources

Clausen, Alison, et al. “Ecological Vulnerability.” Mangrove ecosystems in western Madagascar: an analysis of vulnerability to climate change (WWF/‌2011): n. pag. World Wide Fund for Nature. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.scribd.com/‌doc/‌69730456/‌Mangrove-ecosystems-in-western-Madagascar-an-analysis-of-vulnerability-to-climate-change-WWF-2011>.

Hogan, C Michael. “Madagascar mangroves.” The Encyclopedia of Earth. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.eoearth.org/‌article/‌Madagascar_mangroves?topic=58073>.

Honko: Mangrove Conservation & Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.honko.org/>.

“Madagascar Mangroves.” Oceana. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://na.oceana.org/‌en/‌explore/‌marine-places/‌madagascar-mangroves>.

“Mangrove conservation.” World Wide Fund for Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wwf.mg/‌ourwork/‌climatechange/‌ccprojects/‌mangrove_conservation/>.

Spalding, M.D. “Mangrove Management.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wwf.mg/‌ourwork/‌climatechange/‌ccprojects/‌mangrove_conservation/>.

Tognetti, Sylvia, comp. World Wide Fund for Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.worldwildlife.org/‌wildworld/‌profiles/‌terrestrial/‌at/‌at1404_full.html>.