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		Mangroves [ AQUA-ISSUES INDEX ]   Up to 60% of the world's historic mangrove resource has been lost due to population pressures and clearing for agriculture, urban development, logging and fuel. Shrimp farming has accounted for less than 5% of the mangrove loss, and further losses due to shrimp farming have virtually stopped, due to regulatory and educational efforts.   Following are various points that clarify the current status of mangroves in the aquaculture community. What is a mangrove? Any of some 70 species of tropical and sub-tropical trees and shrubs, which grow at the boundary of land and the saltwater environment. Why are mangroves important? Mangroves are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. They also offer traditional subsistence benefits to people living in coastal communities. How much mangrove area exists? About 18 million hectares (45 million acres). How much mangrove area has been destroyed? Perhaps 55% to 60% of the historic resource. Ironically, Greenpeace recently staged a mangrove reconnaissance tour of the north Pacific coast of Ecuador -- a nation that has in fact increased its mangrove area in the past five years by 2,618 hectares (Centro de Levantamiento Integrado de Recursos Naturales por Sensores Remotes). What has caused this loss? Population pressures have led to clearing for agriculture (especially rice production), grazing, urban development, fuel, construction materials, wood pulp and tourism. Shrimp farming is a minor cause of loss. How much mangrove loss is attributed to shrimp farming? Less than 5%. Only a fraction of shrimp farms have been developed on mangrove land. Even if one assumed that ALL shrimp farming area (estimated as 1.37 million hectacres in 1996) was converted from mangrove land, this would amount to only 7.6% of the current resource, and less than 5% of the historic resource. Studies undertaken for the World Wide Fund for Nature (Clay, 1996) concur: "The extent of mangrove destruction world-wide resulting from shrimp farming is only a tiny fraction of the loss to date." Why were mangrove areas converted to shrimp ponds? Shrimp farming began as early as the 15th century, when coastal mangrove areas in Indonesia were converted into intertidal ponds. Conversion of mangrove areas accelerated during the 1980s, when shrimp farming underwent rapid growth. We now know that mangrove lands are not well suited for shrimp ponds, due to low elevation, acid soils, and high construction costs. Recent trends are toward more intensive farms constructed on higher ground. What is being done to prevent further mangrove loss? The practice of removing mangroves to build shrimp farms has by and large stopped. Foreign governments have recognized that this practice, once thought acceptable, was not improving the environment. They have taken alternate steps in developing their aquaculture practices. Considerable pressure from the world community helped improve this situation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO) has developed an International Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, including appropriate aquaculture activities. Further, in 1997, the Global Aquaculture Alliance commissioned an international study by leading mangrove experts. This culminated in six recommended management practices, which form the first element of GAA's "Codes of Practice for Responsible Shrimp Farming." Are the new mangrove practices working? Yes. Use of mangrove area for new shrimp farms has essentially stopped and many areas are reforesting. Satellite imagery indicates that forested mangrove area have begun to increase in shrimp farming regions in Honduras and Ecuador. However, some remote areas -- particularly in Vietnam and Indonesia -- continue to be developed, largely by poor coastal inhabitants. What additional steps should be taken? The aquaculture industry needs assistance from governments in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries to improve enforcement of mangrove conservation policies and to develop balanced strategies for integrated use of coastal areas. How can one be sure that farmed shrimp were produced in a responsible manner? Along with the United States, South American and Southeast Asian nations have implemented strong national programs that protect mangrove ecosystems. Beyond these programs, the Global Aquaculture Alliance has developed the Responsible Aquaculture Program based on quantitative standards and third-party certification. Producers and processors who distribute aquaculture products in compliance with these standards will be eligible to use a special packaging label. Global Aquaculture Alliance -- http://www.gaalliance.org  Feeding the World Through Responsible Aquaculture 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A -- St. Louis, Missouri 63129 USA Telephone: 314-293-5500 -- Fax: 314-293-5525 -- E-mail: homeoffice@gaalliance.org [ Site contents copyright 2001 Global Aquaculture Alliance. All rights reserved. ]