Mangroves Save Lives

 

In some areas hit by last year?EUR??,,????'???s tsunami, the damage was very minimal, and mangrove vegetation appears to have played a role.

Healthy mangrove forests helped save lives in the Asia tsunami disaster,?EUR??,,????'?? a new report has said. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) compared the death toll from two villages in Sri Lanka that were hit by the devastating giant waves. Two people died in the settlement with dense mangrove and scrub forest, while up to 6,000 people died in the village without similar vegetation. Many forests in the past were felled to build prawn farms and tourist resorts. The IUCN said it showed that healthy ecosystems acted as natural barriers. IUCN Research has shown mangroves are able to absorb between 70-90% of the energy from a normal wave. There is, however, no reliable data on how the trees mitigate the impact of a tsunami. Many people living in coastal areas now want to see their communities benefit from the apparent protection offered by mangrove forests. Coral reefs were also in the direct path of the tsunami. Fears for these ecosystems were allayed after initial surveys found that there had not been widespread, long-term damage. But they did not escape unharmed. Debris and silt from the shore was washed out to sea and covered the reefs. Twelve months later, the IUCN has found that reefs which were in good shape before the waves struck are recovering much more quickly than degraded sites. Damaged coral has been slower to recover from the tsunami. Both mangrove forests and coral reefs found in coastal areas provide vital protection and breeding grounds for fish - a key source of income and nutrition for people in the region.