Yet we continue to cut them down unaware at times of the role these trees are playing within the coastal ecosystem.
Fiji and other Pacific Islands are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and because we cannot prevent it we have to find means to adapt to climate change.
Conservation of mangroves and associated coastal ecosystems has been identified as a key natural adaptation strategy and mitigation measure to the effects of climate change.
Under the Pacific Mangrove Initiative, the Mangrove EcoSystems for Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihoods (MESCAL) project was developed to address key challenges to mangrove management and conservation.
Project Manager Tim Nolan said protecting these vital ecosystems also safeguarded the livelihoods of coastal Pacific Island communities.
He said mangrove ecosystems, renowned for providing goods and services which are highly valued by the peoples of the Pacific, are under continued threat from overharvesting, degradation and land reclamation.
“Weak governance, disconnect between formal and traditional management systems, limited baseline information, weakening traditional management, lack of awareness and limited capacity are some of the key challenges of mangrove management faced in the Pacific,” Mr Nolan said.
MESCAL involves activities across five Pacific Island Countries which includes Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Last week Fiji’s Ministry of Environment director Jope Davetanivalu and Solomon Islands Environment, Conservation and Meteorology permanent secretary Rence Sore were the first to sign their agreements for the project at the Novotel Hotel, Suva.
Mr Sore said overharvesting of mangroves was also a problem for the Solomons as they were cut for firewood, building materials and expansion of coastal villages.
"When mangroves are gone there will be no fish and this will affect people's livelihood and biodiversity will be affected,” Mr Sore said.
“Climate change which contributes to sea level rise is also claiming mangrove areas resulting in dead mangroves," he said.
"Climate change is a human induced problem because it is due to human activities.
“Our vision is to see mangroves planted in the next five years to regain the loss in biodiversity and also for more fish to come back and people can have a decent meal in the long term especially for their livelihood."
Furthermore, he said the Solomon government was thankful to IUCN for the project and for selecting his country as one of the sites and they were looking forward to partner with other island countries to make the project a success.
For the Fiji government, Mr Davetanivalu said although Fiji has its mangrove management, the project will clearly define how it should protect its mangroves.
Project manager Mr Nolan says adopting an Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) approach, the project focuses on finding stakeholder-based solutions supported by scientific evidence and traditional knowledge to positively influence decision-making at all levels of governance.
"We are now looking at processes to encourage sustainable change through the development of sharing ownership, responsibilities and benefits by all parties," said Mr Nolan.
According to their website (www.iucn.org/oceania) the project aims to assist in climate-proofing coastal communities and sustaining livelihoods by promoting investments in mangrove and associated coastal ecosystems in the five participating countries.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
