OVER the years, this column has noticed ‘mangroves’ from time to time because of their importance, and we do so again. Mangroves are one of nature’s gifts to mankind and quietly dovetail into their interests.

Mangroves are plant communities which grow along the coasts of tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They grow in the “intertidal” zone, that is, in the area between the sea and the land and unlike most plants, they have the aptitude to survive in seawater by filtering the salt with their shallow roots and excreting it from their leaves.

In Guyana, there are three types of mangroves – the Red Mangrove, the White Mangrove and the Black Mangrove. They grow extensively along the coastline and can also be seen in the estuaries of the Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo Rivers. Though these three varieties of mangrove have a few peculiar characteristics, there are some general characteristics which all mangroves share: They thrive in areas of high rainfall, they grow best in clayey soils formed by the buildup of waterborne soil particles, they all have shallow roots which make them vulnerable to high winds and strong waves and their seeds are dispersed by water carrying them both upstream and downstream.

Mangroves have many valuable uses, knowledge of which often escapes city dwellers. For one, and most important, they protect the coastline from erosion. In Guyana, the coastal plain where most of the population lives is below sea level and the mangroves along the coastline provide invaluable protection. Additionally, they support wildlife, shelter many aquatic species, and offer good sites for beehives; indeed, mangrove honey is much sought after in Guyana. They provide firewood for domestic cooking and the ingredients of many folk medicines used to treat snake bites, skin disorders and ulcers. Tannin is also extracted from their barks. Fisherfolk get their poles from them, which are used to moor boats and support nets. Their vines are used for handicrafts, for example, making furniture. Lastly, mangroves are now recognised as carbon sinks as the forests have long been and are now an integral part of the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Of the three types of mangroves,the black is regarded on balance as being the most useful. It is the best land stabiliser due to easier seedling transport, quick growth, and fast aerial root production. It has better sediment-holding capabilities in its underground root systems. It also has a better ability to inhabit “artificial sites” such as areas which have been dredged.
Over the last three years, the Mangrove Department of the Ministry of Agriculture has invested $500 million in mangrove protection and rehabilitation. In addition to education, the department has been involved in replanting, especially in the county of Demerara and though goats have on occasion been feeding on the young mangrove plants, overall, the replanting project has been successful.

Mangrove protection and preservation are now ensured and the cutting down of mangroves has disappeared from most coastal communities. This has been largely due to the awareness programmes of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency and by the sad experience of coastal communities, which, after cutting down their mangrove shields, have found themselves open to flooding and soil erosion.

Recently, on Sunday, July 29, to commemorate World Mangrove Day, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute(NAREI), in collaboration with Environmental Management Consultants (EMC) headed by Dr Shyam Nokta who stands out as one of the most able and experienced environmentalists in the Caribbean and the Ministry of Agriculture, represented by Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and a number of other distinguished persons including members of the Diplomatic Corps, hosted a shoreline mangrove walk from Movietown in Turkeyen to Ogle gas station.

In addition to observing World Mangrove Day, the exercise aimed to increase awareness and further promote strategies for the sustainable management, utilisation and conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. Under the aegis of EMC, NAREI and the Ministry of Agriculture’s protection and revitalisation are now irreversible.