MAC outlines reasons for campaign to protect mangroves
CHAIR of the Mangrove Action Committee (MAC),  Mrs. Annette Arjoon-Martins has said that, with very little effort and the right attitude, Guyana can maintain mangroves, which are the natural sea defences of a country.
But, what is critical, is for people to understand the role that mangrove forests play, she said, acknowledging that the task of changing the mindset of the general public is a challenging one although it needs to, and must be, addressed.
Arjoon-Martins explained that there are seven types of mangroves, three of which,  the red, black and white, are more popular.
According to her, the red is found along rivers, the black on the coast and the white in between but, if used properly, all can support community livelihoods.
“We have to think of mangroves differently. We have to see the link between conservation of mangroves and the benefits that come with it, primarily sea defence,” Arjoon-Martins reiterated in an interview.
She said sea defence is the primary purpose of conservation.
“Our county spends vast amounts of money on maintaining our sea defences and nature has provided us with mangroves as a natural sea defence. We recognise that we have to take immediate measures to protect them, replant them where they are destroyed and manage them,” Arjoon-Martins advocated.
She pointed out that mangroves help break up the energy of waves from rivers and the ocean and, with the climate change phenomenon, the need for stronger sea defences have become much more of an imperative.
“Climate change is not a thing of the future, say 10 years from now. Climate change is here. We are living with climate change,” Arjoon-Martins reiterated.
She said 90 per cent of the Guyanese population live along the coastland and it is in this area that the majority of commercial activities are undertaken.
Arjoon-Martins emphasised that mangrove forests need to be protected for the simple reason that they are what protect the coastland.
Carbon sequestration is another service that the mangrove forests provide.
She said regular forests sequestrate carbon but mangrove forests do the same thing 10 times as much carbon.
Arjoon-Martins also said the flower from the black mangrove produces one of the best flavoured honeys and, with assistance, those involved with beekeeping and honey collection can utilise the mangroves for mass production.

NEW MARKETS

“They can even tap into new markets as the mangroves will be supporting their income and they would recognise at least one reason to protect them,” she offered.
Arjoon-Martins highlighted the necessity for communities and the average person to see the bigger picture of the importance of mangroves.
She charged that the brick makers in some parts of Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) are a primary group involved in the destruction of mangroves, which drive a strong heat, but using them to stoke the fires for their manufacturing process.
But Arjoon-Martins argued that the manufacture of bricks to make roadways or fences is not sensible, if it takes away from sea defences and floods the route or fence.
She suggested that such groups use alternatives like wood from sawmills which would work just as well.
“People just need to make the effort. It is being done in the Skeldon area, so we know that the slabs from sawmills can work,” Arjoon-Martins said.
She said people cut down mangroves and use the wood to fence vegetable patches or even as ‘bramble’ to assist with planting crops like bora.
“What is the use of damaging the mangroves to protect crops and take away from sea defences?” Arjoon-Martins asked, noting that, when the floods come, all will be destroyed.
She said mangroves are utilised as a dump site and people who burn garbage there often cause fires to spread, resulting in significant damage.
Arjoon-Martins recalled that, recently, compounded by the El Nino condition, sections of the mangrove forest at Hope Beach, East Coast Demerara, were severely damaged.
She said, such fires also harm the habitat of fishes that use the mangroves as a nursery or spawning ground until when the newborn are big enough to venture into larger bodies of water.
“Any seaman worth his salt will tell you that, in areas where there are mangroves, the fishing is good,’ Arjoon-Martins mentioned.
She repeated her appeal for conservation, asserting that harming the mangrove forests takes away from what is the main source of income for a significant number of people.
Arjoon-Martins said, presently, the MAC focus is not massive replanting but protecting and managing what exists and to replant mangroves in deforested areas.
The mangroves were recently declared an endangered species, by the Agriculture Ministry, which said persons involved with their destruction will be liable to prosecution.

FURTHER ACTION

“If we find someone destroying the mangrove we speak to them, warn them, the first time. If they continue, then the Committee will be in order to take further action and press charges,” she said.
Arjoon-Martins said, to date, the MAC has spoken to several persons but, most times, the actions of those who damage the mangroves are not deliberate but due to a lack of awareness.
Because of this, she justified the need to get communities involved and the MAC has conducted several regional consultations, the main purpose of which is to involve people and include their feedback into the mangrove management plan that is now in draft form.     “The feedback was extremely positive and this gives me optimism that the more we reach out to people with our mangrove messages the more support we will get. This is a livelihood issue, not the Government telling us that this is the right thing to do. This is us appreciating and understanding the role of mangroves and trying to protect it for our own self survival,” Arjoon-Martins said.
She said the first consultation was done last February and engaged 150 persons, to also engender a sense of ownership among communities and bolster the conservation effort that must be a community-owned, community managed and community driven.
“If people are aware that mangroves are protected, they will reduce their destructive practices. They need to understand and, once they do, they have to become involved in the whole process of protection,” Arjoon-Martins posited.
She said community development specialists visit communities and meet with focal groups to make them aware and, together, find solutions.
In that context, the MAC has been working assiduously to ensure that the message of conservation reaches the general public, towards fulfilling the mandate of protecting the endangered mangrove forests.
The MAC was established in late 2009 and comprises representatives of regulatory bodies that are stakeholders in the preservation of the mangrove forests. They include the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).
“The committee meets twice a month and we have a functioning Mangrove Secretariat that is located in the compound of the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI),” Arjoon-Martins announced.
She said persons aware of destruction of mangroves are asked to telephone numbers 220-2841, 220-2842 or 220-2843.