Pollution, deforestation, and climate change are putting half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems at risk of collapsing. For the first time, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is well-known for its red list of species in danger, has conducted an assessment of mangroves worldwide, rating 36 distinct locations.The study “highlights the urgent need for coordinated conservation of mangroves,crucial habitats for millions in vulnerable communities worldwide,” according to IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar.
Mangroves are plants or shrubs found in tropical regions that grow mostly in brackish or saltwater near tidal rivers and coasts. According to IUCN’s results, which were released on the International Day for Biodiversity, “50 percent of the mangrove ecosystems assessed are at risk of collapse” and are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Twenty percent were at serious danger of collapsing, according to the examination.Development, pollution, deforestation, and the building of dams pose threats to mangroves. But as sea levels rise and strong storms become more frequent as a result of climate change, the risk is rising.Mangroves encompass around 15 percent of the world’s coast, or 150,000 square kilometers.Because of increasing sea levels, one-third of mangrove ecosystems are threatened by climate change.
The IUCN stated that at the current rate, indicate that in the next 50 years, a quarter of the world’s mangrove land is anticipated to be flooded. The coasts of the Red Sea, the South China Sea, the northwest Atlantic Ocean, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Aden are predicted to be particularly badly impacted.
According to Angela Andrade, head of the IUCN committee on ecosystem management,
“mangrove ecosystems are exceptional in their ability to provide essential services to people, including coastal disaster risk reduction, carbon storage and sequestration, and support for fisheries.”Mangroves currently store nearly 11 billion tons of carbon — almost three times the amount of carbon stored by tropical forests of the same size.Maintaining good sediment circulation and allowing mangroves to expand inland will help them cope with sea level rise, IUCN said. It also called for the restoration of mangroves which have already disappeared.
