Mangroves for Life
Mangroves for Life:
We are destroying a coastal ecosystem that helps sustain life and livelihoods. But now there is a plan to reverse mangrove loss in West Africa. Mangroves are salt tolerant trees that provide essential goods and services for people and nature. They are the nursery room for fish, crabs, shrimps and oysters and thus essential for the regional economy. Communities rely on mangroves for fuel wood and construction.
Mangroves also play a vital role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. They protect the coastlines against tropical storms. In addition, mangroves are among the most intense carbon sinks on the planet.
Yet despite their importance, mangrove forests are among the most threatened habitats in the world and mangrove loss are rampant across the globe.
12 coastal countries in West Africa, from Mauritania to Nigeria, have now joined forces. Mangroves for Life is their 10-year program to restore, increase and properly manage the mangroves in their countries
In spite the incredible value for people and nature, the pressure on mangrove ecosystem is high. Mangroves in West Africa experience deforestation rates of 1.7 percent per year. Between 1980 and 2000, 35% of all mangroves were lost.
Many threats contribute to this deforestation and degradation. The most important being that WestAfrica’s coastlines have some of the highest and most rapidly growing population densities which leads to over exploitation of mangrove areas and unsustainable practices.
Communities rely on mangrove wood as the primary - and often only - fuel source for home cooking, fish smoking, palm oil production and salt production
Mechanized, intensive agriculture with cash crops such as rice, oil palm, rubber, cashew nuts and coconuts helped to meet food self-sufficiency, employment, and
cash for local communities and government agencies, but also caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of hectares of mangroves and other coastal forests.
The development of large-scale infrastructure – harbours, roads - and mining in coastal areas led to the disappearance of mangrove forests.The effects of climate change like rising sea levels, erosion from extreme weather, and increased storm surge, form significant and growing threats to remaining mangrove areas.
Ark 2030 is funding two strategies as part of its Mangroves for Life Programme:
Fund the planting of over 1.5 Billion Mangrove Trees
Build a cook stove and solar power infra structure team for the 12 country Mangroves for Life programme; establishing distribution networks for the domestic and community energy supplies which will have a significant impact on reversing the destruction of valuable mangrove eco systems and mitigate the significant impact that the use of open stoves has on the health and life expectancy of women and children in the region