{"id":20020874,"date":"2016-12-02T11:51:38","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T06:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=20874"},"modified":"2020-12-29T06:35:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T01:05:59","slug":"mangroves-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/forests\/mangroves-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"Mangroves: The Forests of the Tide\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2008 Cyclone Nargis<\/a> swept in over the Bay of Bengal and across the Irrawaddy delta, killing 130,000 people and displacing many more. Nothing broke the power of the cyclone as it hit the coast; the destruction of mangroves had left Myanmar\u2019s coastline exposed to the devastating force of the tropical storm.<\/p>\n

Mangroves are a delta\u2019s natural defence against nature\u2019s fury, absorbing the onslaught of cyclones, winds, floods and tidal surges. The dense tangle of roots trap silt and stabilise the coast, preventing erosion. The trees also absorb five times more carbon dioxide<\/a> from the atmosphere than rainforests, which means they play a huge role in mitigating global climate change.<\/p>\n

A new art exhibition<\/a> in Yangon shows the strange beauty of these complex ecosystems and the important functions the mangrove forests play in the wider ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Expansion of agriculture, shrimp farming, coastal development and rising sea levels have all contributed to mangrove deforestation worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>Only 16% of mangroves in Myanmar’s delta remain,\u201d says British painter Kate Bowen. It was time spent in the Ma Gyi mangrove conservation park that inspired her to paint the huge canvasses on display in Gallery 65.<\/p>\n

\"trees,
Ink on canvas (Kate Bowen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2.5 million trees have been replanted in the Ma Gyi park with the support of Worldview International Foundation in an area where the mangroves covering 1,800 acres had been destroyed. The good news is the trees regenerate quickly, recolonizing a denuded island in ten to fifteen years.<\/p>\n

Myanmar artist Htein Lin\u2019s installation \u201cMangrave\u201d is a charcoal sculpture of a tree. The production of charcoal is one of the primary causes of mangrove decline.<\/p>\n

\u201cBogale charcoal made from mangroves is famous for its quality. Production of this charcoal in the delta was encouraged in the Ne Win era to fuel kitchens in Yangon. It led to widespread mangrove deforestation,\u201d he told local media.<\/p>\n

\"(Photo:
(Photo courtesy: Htein Lin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since Myanmar\u2019s opening up in 2011 new threats have emerged in the form of industrial agricultural and large scale plantations.<\/p>\n

Norwegian artist Gunnlaug Bina Kuloy\u2019s macro videos and sound installations capture the teaming life of small creatures hidden in the tidal forests and their role in the bigger ecosystem. Crabs that dig holes in the mud, for example, provide oxygen to mangrove roots keeping the forests alive.<\/p>\n