When most people think of mangroves, they unfortunately envisage smelly malaria infested swamps full of dangerous and deadly beasts. The mangrove’s bad reputation, which dates back to the age of Victorian explorers is tragic because these tidal forests, which effortlessly straddle the realm between land and sea are one of the most important ecosystems to grace our planet. They act as nurseries and are the ocean’s kindergarten for many species of fish, mollusks and crustaceans. Without mangroves coral reefs for example, so adored by the public would be shadows of their riotous diverse selves. Mangroves also protect against coastal erosion and are our first line of defense against sea level rise. During the 2004 Asian Tsunami mangrove forests even presided over who lived and died. Coastlines with intact and healthy mangroves experienced a less savage death toll than areas where they had been cleared. Despite these glaringly vital roles that mangroves play they are exploited with great vigor . Their formidable wood, largely resistant to wet rot and termites is much sought after to build boats and houses, but the greatest danger to mangroves is coastal development. Their prime seafront location is often a death sentence as large-scale clearing goes hand in hand with the development of tourist infrastructure, shrimp farming ponds and agriculture projects in many parts of the world.
As chief photographer of the Save Our Seas Foundation I have had the great privilege of exploring many mangrove ecosystems around the world. Photographing the tidal forests of Aldabra’s giant lagoon in 2008 rewarded me with a feeling of having traveled back in time to when our planet’s seas were still healthy and intact (Visit SOSF Aldabra Expedition Blog). Unfortunately however very few mangroves are as pristine as those on this remote Indian Ocean atoll. Halfway across the world on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula the development of the resort town of Cancun laid waste to large tracts of mangroves in the 1970s. More recently tourist development began to expand south and today some of Mexico’s wildest tropical coastal landscapes are under threat. (more…)
