Marine scientist and mangrove skilled Jurgenne Primavera says planting mangroves on seagrass beds is ‘an ecological scandal’
MANILA, Philippines – Science consultants and environmental teams this week known as out airline Cathay Pacific for planting mangroves on an present seagrass mattress in Carcar, Cebu.
In a November 12 Fb submit, the airline posted images of a latest mangrove planting exercise as a part of its “1 Ticket, 1 Tree and 1 Tonne, 1 Tree Initiative.”
In line with the submit, over 60 volunteers, together with Cathay staff and their companions, helped plant 5,000 mangrove seedlings in Carcar — “one tree for each flight ticket bought and each tonne of cargo shipped with Cathay Cargo in the course of the marketing campaign.”
The submit, nevertheless, drew criticism for “mangrove misplanting,” with Mangrove Issues PH — a gaggle of younger Filipino mangrove advocates — penning an open letter to the airline to lift its issues.
“As seen in your latest submit, mangrove seedlings have been planted in seagrass meadows — an ecosystem vital for marine biodiversity. Seagrasses are habitats and nursery grounds to wildlife and commercially vital marine species for meals safety. Moreover, seagrasses sequester big quantities of atmospheric carbon for local weather change mitigation, leading to elevated local weather resilience,” the group mentioned within the submit.
“Nonetheless, introducing mangroves into seagrass ecosystems can disrupt their ecological operate as mangroves might dominate, resulting in seagrass decline.”
Matthew Vincent Tabilog, founding father of Mangrove Issues PH, mentioned seagrass meadows are sources of livelihood and meals for the nation’s coastal communities.
Marine scientist and mangrove skilled Jurgenne Primavera known as planting mangroves on seagrass beds “an ecological scandal.”
“[It] is an ecological scandal for 3 causes: first, seagrass beds type an ecosystem by themselves —their inhabitants, like dugongs, sea turtles, seahorses, rabbitfish or danggit, and others, will disappear if changed by mangroves. It’s improper to rob seagrasses to pay the mangroves,” Primavera, the chief mangrove scientific advisor of the Zoological Society of London, mentioned.
She added: “Secondly, with sea degree rise coming absolutely (whether or not at a quick charge or slowly), coastal seawater ranges will develop deeper, making the habitat appropriate for subtidal vegetation like seagrasses. Intertidal bushes, like mangroves, will drown as a result of they want the tidal ebb and circulate, with 70% of the time rising above the water to outlive.”
“Lastly, the planted bakhaw or the Rhizophora species of mangroves might both die inside a yr as a result of they’re the improper species within the improper place. Or they might survive till they attain 20 years or extra after they develop into tall sufficient to be felled or lower down by a storm as robust as Yolanda. Bakhaw which are damaged or broken will die as a result of they haven’t any apical meristem or tissues accountable for regenerating new leaves and branches.”
‘Science-based strategy’
In the meantime, marine conservation group Oceana Philippines mentioned mangrove species needs to be “appropriately chosen and planted in the suitable coastal zones” for any mangrove reforestation to achieve success, and to take care of the general well being of coastal and marine environments.
In an announcement on Saturday, November 16, Oceana vice chairman Gloria Estenzo Ramos known as on Cathay Pacific and the Carcar native authorities to work collectively on a “science-based” strategy to mangrove reforestation. She additionally urged native governments to strictly adhere to present pointers on mangrove planting and to determine coastal greenbelts.
“These are insurance policies that can make sure the schooling of key gamers and gatekeepers on the efficient and powerful administration of mangroves and seagrass to stop reclamation and different damaging tasks threatening our coasts,” Oceana added.
After the backlash, Cathay Pacific got here out with an announcement and posted it as a touch upon the unique submit previous 4 pm Friday, November 15.
“We hear your issues and, such as you, wish to be taught extra and do higher. Earlier at this time, we reached out to Mangrove Issues PH to debate how we are able to deal with these issues collaboratively,” the airline mentioned, including that it could be consulting the group for its future planting efforts and organizing studying classes for the Cathay Pacific staff.
“We stay dedicated to our mission of preserving our mangrove forests. We wish to hold this dialog going and stay up for working with Mangrove Issues and different stakeholders to additional this vital trigger collectively,” the airline added. – Rappler.com
Erwin Mascariñas is a contract author, photojournalist, and videographer primarily based in Butuan Metropolis. He’s additionally an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024.
