UN: Mangrove forests in the Pacific are in danger of being wiped out

Global warming can destroy more than half of the mangroves in some Pacific islands, eradicating or reducing the reproductive environment of many marine organisms that bring millions of dollars to fisheries, one United Nations report said.

Tuvalu Island is one of the most severely affected islands in terms of mangrove risk of disappearance (Photo: tuvalu) United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report on the impact of rising sea levels at Many mangrove forests in 16 Pacific countries have detected rising sea levels due to climate change threatening to submerge the Pacific mangrove forests.

The United Nations report warns that an average of 13% of the mangrove forests in the Pacific will be destroyed by rising sea levels.The most affected islands in the world are Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu and the islands of Micronesia . The report said the island nations could lose more than half of the mangroves by the end of the century.

About half of the world's mangrove forests have been destroyed since 1900 until now, mainly due to the development of shrimp farms and environmental pollution. In the past two decades alone, 35% of forest areas have been lost.

According to the United Nations, mangroves play an important role in protecting the soil, which is the breeding environment for fish and marine species. It is also important for the development of marine ecosystems such as coral and seabed plants. In addition, it is also a food source, providing textile materials and producing fishing nets, wood materials and construction for island residents in the Pacific.

Also according to the report of UNEP, mangroves also help protect islands from flooding in the hurricane season, reducing wind attacks by 75% of islands. It limited the destruction of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in some areas.

The report calls for reducing pollution from land facilities so that mangroves can recover under the impact of rising sea levels due to global warming.

T.VY