Coral reefs and mangroves not only serve as buffers to reduce the impact of natural disasters, but can also bolster economies by spurring tourism and ensuring the survival of fishing communities, the United Nations said in a report Tuesday, according to Associated Press.
The UN said its report, "In the Front Line: Shoreline Protection and other Ecosystem Services from Mangroves and Coral Reefs," attempted to put a value on the coastal resources for the first time.
Mangroves and coral reefs protect coastal communities dependent on commercial fishing, aquaculture and the aquarium industry for survival, the ﾠreport said. The reefs especially provide sometimes vital ﾠtourism revenue from divers and others wanting to explore.
The mangroves in Thailand could be worth as much as US$3.5 million per square kilometre, while coral reefs in the Caribbean and Indonesia are worth as much as US$1 million per square kilometre.
Across south-east Asia, reef fisheries generate almost US$2.5 billion annually and nearly one million small-scale fishermen in the Philippines depend on the reefs.
But the benefits, the report said, extend far beyond the financial gains.
The December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami devastated mostly rural, coastal communities in 12 countries, leaving at least 216,000 people dead or missing and more than a million homeless.
The UN's report estimated that a coral reef can typically absorb up to 90 per cent of a wave's force, thus protecting the shore from erosion and damage.
"Mangroves dissipate the energy and size of waves as a result of the drag forces exerted by their multiple roots and stems," it said. "Wave energy may be reduced by 75 per cent in the wave's passage through 200 metres of mangrove."
Studies from Sri Lanka indicate that one square kilometre of coral reef prevents 2;000 cubic metres of coastal erosion annually.
"The tragedy of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 brought into sharp focus the debate about the life-saving qualities of healthy reefs and mangroves," said Klaus Toepfer, the executive director of the United Nation's Environment Program.
"But this report goes further, underlining that their economic, cultural and social importance stretches far beyond such extreme events," Toepfer said.
But the report – compiled with the International Coral Reef Action Network and the World Conservation Union – warned that reefs and mangroves are on the decline.
Close to a third of the world's corals have gone, and 60 per cent are expected to be lost by 2030, the report found. More than a third of all mangroves have disappeared, with the rate of loss greater than that of tropical rain forests.
Source: ﾠThe Tribune
Nassau, Bahamas
